Summer Mix
by CheerfulChemist
Summary: This is a unified collection taking place in S7 beginning after the S6 finale. It will feature multiple voices and styles including Jim Beckett's Journal, writings from Richard Castle, and Mop and Broom, somewhat like Moment in Time, with both angst and humor, but with everything in order,don't own Castle Summer Hiatus Ficathon 2014 entry Follow me on Twitter @CheerfulChemist
1. Chapter 1

Summer Mix

Chapter One

From the Journal of James Beckett

May 13, 2014

Dear Johanna,

I hoped that I would never again have our little girl sob as bitterly in my arms as she did the day we lost you, but it happened yesterday. The guests had arrived and the wedding was already late beginning when Katie was called to an accident on the road. Rick's car was in flames. So many of Katie's and Rick's friends from the precinct had come for the wedding that the scene was examined with almost infinite care. Rick's car had clearly been run off the road. When the fire was put out, a body was found inside the car. It was charred and unrecognizable, but the height and general build were a match for Rick. Katie was inconsolable and I understood all too well how she felt.

Today everything has changed. Rick's family requested that Dr. Lanie Parish be the one to examine Rick's body. It took her a day to get herself together. She and Katie are not only best friends, but she was supposed to have been Katie's maid of honor. Yesterday they cried together. But this morning Dr. Parish was able to face the task. My love, the body wasn't Rick! Lanie knew as soon as she had x-rays of his bones. Do you remember my tale of the scam that Katie put together for Rick's birthday when he had a broken kneecap? The knee of the body showed no sign of a break! Someone took some pains to make it look, at least initially, like Rick had died in that car, and had substituted another corpse. Lanie was unable to identify the victim and has called in Dr. Clark Murray, the pathologist who helped break your case.

So far there is no clue to Rick's whereabouts, but you know our Katie. She is examining and re-examining every iota of evidence. She is absolutely determined to find him and totally convinced that she will find him alive. The whole precinct, including Captain Gates, is backing Katie 100%. Even though the crime didn't occur within NYPD jurisdiction, Katie's colleagues are spending every hour of their spare time on the case. I wish there was something I could do to help them. All I can do is be here for our daughter, and I will. If there is any way you can help, now is the time.

Forever love,

JB

May 14, 2014

Dear Johanna,

There may be a lead, however small, to whomever is involved in Rick's disappearance. An analysis of the rubber left on the road from the tires of the vehicle that ran Rick off the road showed them to be custom, and from a small batch. Right now Katie and her colleagues are looking at everyone who might have been driving around on those tires. It is a huge long-shot, but Esposito has assured me that they have solved cases with less to go on than this. At the least, it gives Katie something to hold onto.

As dire as the situation may be, I'm still both comforted and astounded by the total dedication of Katie's friends to her and to Rick. So many people have invested in Katie's and Rick's love and in pursuing a happy ending. If hard work, hope, and prayers can bring Rick back to Katie, it will happen.

Forever love,

JB

May 15, 2014

Dear Johanna,

Katie and her friends have hit a snag. The party that obtained the tires did so anonymously, in cash. That is suspicious in itself. Who pays cash for tires anymore? Store records did indicate that they were put on a black SUV. The license number on the work order turned out to have been for stolen plates, but there was a VIN number for the car. They are trying to trace the ownership, but it appears to have passed through several sets of hands and not all transactions may have been recorded.

Katie's friends are getting nervous, as am I. The more time that passes, the worse the chances of recovering Rick alive. If there is an upside, it is that the FBI, or at least an investigator from the FBI, has gotten involved. Agent Shaw, whom Katie and Rick have worked with before, is donating her time and resources. Normally the FBI would be called in on a kidnapping in any case, especially of someone as high profile as Rick. However, no one has actually declared this to be a kidnapping. With no ransom being demanded, despite Rick's wealth, it is not at all clear what his disappearance represents. Dr. Murray has yet to make any progress identifying the body in Rick's car, which complicates matters and casts some suspicion on Rick. Some cynical journalists have even suggested that it might be a case of a runaway groom. I don't believe that for a second and nether does anyone who really knows him. He and Katie went through so much together I can't imagine anything that would make him want to leave her. Wherever he is, he doesn't want to be there.

Forever love,

JB

May 16, 2014

Dear Johanna,

The trail to Rick's captors has lead to the CIA. Katie has a source and she can't tell even me who it is, but she has been told there is a connection. She has been able to tell me this much, it traces back to the research Rick did for his Derrick Storm books. I never understood how Rick got the access to gather the kind of background information he did, but apparently Katie knows. She just can't say.

Whoever Katie's source is, he's helping from behind the scenes. She seems very conflicted about that. Apparently there is a history she also can't tell me about. She considers him less than trustworthy. It is a devil's bargain. She is going with whatever she has because the alternative is even worse.

In some way, the idea of CIA involvement does jibe with the trail of the tires, which led abruptly into a black hole, even for the FBI. The CIA, or someone involved with them, could possibly obscure the evidence that thoroughly. Katie also told me with a laugh, rare for her these days, that the CIA has been known to use black SUV's. Apparently that isn't classified information.

Forever love,

JB

May 18, 2014

Dear Johanna,

Rick has been found alive. There certainly, as yet, is no solution to the mystery of who took him. Katie received a text from her mysterious source and she, Esposito, and Ryan found Rick in a building on Staten Island, which had been abandoned after Hurricane Sandy. In fact the whole area had been abandoned, which meant no one saw or heard anything. There would have been plenty to observe. Rick was surrounded by dead bodies. Some of them had been killed with a knife, some had been shot. As yet no one knows who they were or who killed them.

Rick was in pretty bad shape. Apparently he had been bound, drugged, and tortured. Katie didn't give me many details, they seemed to stick in her throat whenever she tried. She did tell me that he was still wearing his tuxedo, and he still had the wedding license in his pocket. He could barely think or talk, but he insisted on giving the license to Kate for safekeeping.

Rick's in the hospital and Kate is with him. Martha and Alexis are there too and a group of cops from 12th are guarding him on their own time, until it can be determined if he is still in danger. Lanie is keeping an eye on Rick and Katie as well. I've visited with Katie several times. Rick was barely conscious but he seemed to know who I was and seemed glad that I was there for Katie.

I'm afraid there may be a long road to recovery for Rick, more likely mentally even more than physically. His captors kept his injuries less than life threatening, possibly so they could extract more information from him, but he suffered a lot of pain and no doubt terror. There are also still a whole group of puzzles to solve. Katie seems to be letting all of that go for now while she watches over Rick. She may also know more than she is willing to talk about. But I am sure, knowing our daughter, that however long it takes, if there is anyone left alive who was involved in Rick's abduction, they will not escape justice.

Forever love,

JB


	2. Chapter 2

Summer Mix

Chapter 2

Castle's Journal

May 25, 2014

I've been out of the hospital for a couple of days and Kate insisted on taking me to Dr. Burke, because he was so helpful to her after she was shot. That man has the deepest voice. He reminds me of a Klingon. I find that both scary and comforting. For whatever reason, I was having a hard time talking to him, so he suggested that I might put my experience down in my journal to help organize my thoughts. I had a visit from Jordan Shaw and she suggested the same thing. I've been told that it was probably the drugs, but my memory is a bit hazy in spots and all too clear in others.

Kate has wanted me to talk to her about what happened. I may be able to, when I get some time and some distance, but right now she is the hardest person to tell. I understand now why she held so many feelings back from me. I can see her feel my pain as I felt hers when she was shot and when she went through everything involved with Bracken. It tears me apart. I love her too much to see her hurt as I was hurt.

In a way, it was easier to tell what I could about my abduction to Jordan. She is objective and emotionally detached. She also asked easier questions. She wanted to know what I saw and heard, not what I felt.

I suppose I will start where all my stories start, at the beginning. I had just told Kate that I loved her when I saw the SUV. It was clear that it was trying to force me off the road. I tried to get away. My Mercedes should have been faster and more maneuverable. But the SUV's engine must have been souped up somehow, maybe with nitrous oxide. It was able to get up an incredible burst of speed to get ahead of me and block me. Two other cars showed up, one behind me and one beside me. I had nowhere to go. The car beside me rammed me until I slid down the hill.

Despite the deployment of my airbags, I was stunned. That gave my abductors time to get down the hill and pull me out of the car. I couldn't see their faces; they were all wearing balaclavas. The voices I heard had no foreign accents. In fact I detected a tinge of New York here and there, but mostly they spoke like old style network newsmen, with any regional accents deliberately suppressed. They were all armed, but with nothing out of the ordinary, just Sigs and Glocks. The body types were incredibly average, neither short nor tall and neither fat nor thin. They did seem to be well muscled as they shoved me around, but I didn't actually see bulging biceps, so that might have been a matter of perception on my part.

They brought me to the SUV I had seen initially and shoved an injector against my neck. I don't think Esposito would have accused me of getting a hickey this time. After that I don't remember anything until I woke up bound to a chair when they threw ice water in my face. They started asking me questions about my time with Sophia Turner. That's certainly not anything I want to think about under the best of circumstances. I'm not proud of having unknowingly slept with a mole in the CIA or having used one as a model for a character in one of my books. I couldn't have answered most of their questions if I wanted to. I didn't know who her associates were or what was on her computer. She was very careful. She slept with me but certainly didn't share with me. It eventually became evident that I really didn't know her at all. One of them sneeringly asked me if she was good in bed. That I could tell him. She was fine, but she always held back, even there. I told him that I had certainly had much better since. That was the truth. Next to the bonfire that is Kate, Sophia was a feeble spark, but I don't think information on my sex life was really what they were after.

They propped my mouth open with a dental instrument and poured water into it. I tried to swallow, but I couldn't swallow fast enough. I was choking and drowning and I finally passed out. They woke me up and asked me all the questions over again while one of them stood there with a 2 liter bottle of water and just stared at me. Then they did it again. The next time they gave me a shot before they questioned me. I don't remember much of that. It seemed like the room was swimming and so was I.

Then one of them untied my hands just long enough to jerk my arms back so that it felt like my shoulders were being pulled from their sockets. They tied me that way and left me. I don't know for how long. Time probably dilated with the pain. It may have been an hour. It seemed like days. They asked me the same questions over and over again, the way they had with the water.

They wouldn't let me sleep. They kept bright lights on in the room all the time and turned on loud music every time it seemed like I might be dropping off anyway. After a while I couldn't tell what was real anymore. A few times I thought I saw Kate coming through the door. I imagined she was going to kiss me. But if there was anyone there at all, it was one of my jailers and what met my mouth was hard knuckles.

I thought I was hallucinating again when the door was kicked in. My vision was so blurred that all I could see was muzzle flash. And then it was quiet. Someone came and seemed to look at me. I couldn't tell who it was. He didn't speak. I felt the ropes on my hands being loosened, a jacket was thrown over me, the lights were turned down, and the door closed. The next thing I remember was Kate's voice. At first, after the times I had imagined her, I couldn't believe she was actually there, but when I felt her hand on my face and her fingers brushing back my hair, I started to believe she could be real. Esposito and Ryan were there too. Trust them to break up a tender moment. That's when I really knew I wasn't dreaming.


	3. Chapter 3

Summer Mix

Chapter 3

Castle started as he heard the door of the loft opening, but relaxed when he heard Kate call his name. "In here," he called back from his office.

Kate joined him, standing behind his chair and automatically massaging his still sore shoulders. "How are you?" she asked.

"I've been following doctor's orders," Castle told her, pointing to the laptop he had closed at her approach. "I just finished."

"Did it help?" Kate asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Castle admitted. "So how was your day?"

"Some idiot tried to sell drugs in Westie territory and got popped for his trouble. We're coordinating with Gangs and gathering the usual suspects."

Castle grabbed her hand and brought her to where he could look at her, studying her expression. "There's something else, isn't there?"

Kate sighed. "Yeah. Dr. Murray was able to extract some marrow from a bone from the body that was found inside your car. He did some test, I think he called it electrophoresis. Anyway, he found something. The guy had a type of hemoglobin that's usually found in people of Asian or Eastern European descent. The bone structure was all wrong for Asian, so he's thinking Eastern European. Also, from the types of cells he found, he thinks the man was dying of leukemia. He may very well have volunteered to be the body in your car."

"What about all the other bodies, the people who were killed where I was held?" Castle asked.

"That's another thing," Kate told him. "The FBI has claimed that they were associated with a kidnapping and with mass murder and have claimed jurisdiction. They have the bodies and if they know anything, they're maintaining radio silence."

"So Jordan wasn't just here out of the goodness of her heart," Castle mused cynically.

"Honestly, Castle, I don't know. It might have started out that way, but now the FBI is into it up to their ears."

"The FBI, the CIA, this is starting to sound like one of my crazy scenarios," Castle said.

"Not so crazy," Kate told him, "but definitely frustrating. I'm not sure where we're going from here."

"Then how about going to dinner?" Castle suggested. "Mother made lunch and..."

Kate laughed. "I get the picture. You sure you're feeling up to it?"

"I can definitely use the distraction. Just no loud music."

"Deal," Kate agreed.

Castle opted for a local Italian restaurant where the booths had high walls and most of the lighting was provided by candles stuck in Chianti bottles. He and Kate sipped the house wine over creamy pasta. "You have a …." Kate said, brushing the corner of his mouth with a fingertip.

Castle captured her hand, pressing a kiss into her palm and folding her fingers over it. "Kate, let's get out of here."

Kate searched his face in the flickering light, seeing the longing reflected in his eyes. "Castle are you sure you're ready?"

"It's the first thing I've been sure of in a while."

Castle pulled Kate close, with an arm around her waist for the walk back to the loft. She held him as well, feeling the warmth growing beneath her arm.

The elevator saw the first tentative kiss. A rush to the door was followed by a fumbling for keys and a slam of the door behind them. Castle could go no farther. He needed to touch Kate, to taste more than her lips. He tore at the buttons on her blouse.

"Castle," Kate whispered. "Alexis is upstairs. C'mon," she said, grabbing both his hands to lead him to the bedroom. Castle kicked the door closed, bringing his lips to the base of her neck as she arched against him. The room retreated in a swirling fog, the steps to the bed too far to traverse. The fear, the hurt, the pain, fed their passion. This was the renewal of the life energy ripped from them when they were wrenched apart. It filled them again as they filled each other, erupting in an explosion of heat and light. Castle leaned against the door on shaky legs, holding Kate up against him. "Think you can make it to the bed now?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," Castle replied. "I don't think I can let go of you."

"You don't have to," Kate murmured, wrapping herself around him. "We'll go together."

Castle was jolted from the most soothing slumber he'd had since his capture, by the sound of sirens screaming past the loft. He clutched the sheets with white knuckles, sweating and trembling. "Hey," Kate whispered, stroking the side of his face, "it's all right."

Castle buried his face in her hair, drawing her scent into his lungs. "I need you," he gasped.

"You have me," she soothed, "always." Her lips barely brushed the surface of his chest. She could taste the saltiness of his fear, now slowly retreating at her touch. She had just meant to comfort, but he wanted more, they both did. Not the flames of desire, but a mantle of healing warmth, their loving was a mending, a pouring of soothing balm into the wounds of separation. The final joining was a re-cementing of the connection that had been cracked but never severed.

Castle watched as the colors of sunrise painted the walls of their familiar retreat. The pictures, the shadow box of shells, all seemed refreshed, imbued with the glow of a day's beginning. Strands of Kate's hair, softly spread across his chest, took on new highlights. His fingertips explored the coppery silk. He pulled back his hand as she stirred, enjoying watching her sleep too much to wake her, but as the sunlight strengthened, her eyes opened. A smile crept across her face as she gazed up at him. "Good morning."

"It is," he agreed. "Kate, will you marry me?"

"Of course, Castle. I told you that over a year ago."

"So nothing's changed?"

Kate framed his face in her hands. "Lots of of things have changed Castle, for both of us, but I loved you then and if anything, I love you even more now. Nothing is ever going to change that. Nothing."

"Then I want to get married," he told her, "soon."

"I think we have to, Castle," she replied teasingly.

"Kate, you're not?"

Kate laughed. "No, unless something happened last night, but I have almost 300 wedding gifts sitting in my old apartment."

"And?" Castle asked.

"I'll be damned if I'm shipping them all back."


	4. Chapter 4

Summer Mix

Chapter 4

From the Mop and Broom

"What's been happening today?" Broom asked as he was returned to his place in the janitor's closet. "One of the cops from Robbery, I think his name is Demming, grabbed me to clean up after a box of donuts fell on the floor in the break room down there. He got called to a case and just left me standing in the corner all day."

"You missed a lot," Mop told him. "This was Castle's first day back. I didn't get to see much out there, but I heard things when people came in here."

Broom's straws rippled against the floor. "Lots of make out sessions, huh?"

"Some, but conversations too. The first ones in here were Javi and Dr. Lanie. They did a little kisseyface, but mostly they were worried about Castle and Beckett."

"What did they say?" Broom asked.

"Well first they were talking about the welcome back party. You'll never guess who arranged that," Mop said, his tendrils swaying.

"Who?" Broom asked.

"It was Scary Lady. Isn't that weird? She always acts like she hates Castle, but I think she's really glad he's back. She bought a cake and everything."

"Oooh, I bet there was some cleaning up from that!" Broom exclaimed.

"Not much," Mop told him. "I think people were afraid to drop crumbs on the floor when she was watching. There was one spilled espresso, but that was about it. They brought Vacuum in afterward, but he didn't have a whole lot to do."

"So what did they say about Castle and Beckett?" Broom asked.

"Well Dr. Lanie said he was recovering fine, physically. Javi was more worried about other things. Castle isn't doing well with loud noises. Javi was worried about what would happen if Castle was out with Beckett and there was gunfire. I guess Javi's been through something like that himself. He knows how it feels."

"That's interesting," Broom commented. "I didn't think he was that sensitive. He's always acting like a badass."

"He didn't sound like one today," Mop replied, "but there was a lot more going on back here today."

"Like what?" Broom asked.

"Kevin and Jenny were here and Jenny brought Sarah Grace. They came back here to talk. Jenny was feeding the baby while they were back here and not with a bottle."

"You dog!" Broom exclaimed. "You shouldn't have been looking at that!"

"Look who's talking!" Mop retorted, "Mr. Voyeur of the 12th. But anyway, there wasn't much to see. She had a diaper over the whole thing. They were talking about how Castle was with the baby, though. He loves babies. You remember when they had that other baby at the precinct? We had some messes from that one, but Castle was terrific with him. When they let him hold Sarah Grace today it was like he really came alive. From what they said he really wanted to keep holding her. Jenny only got her back because she started to cry because she was hungry. Jenny said that if she'd brought a bottle, Castle probably would have fed the baby too."

"What's wrong with that?" Broom asked. "He has a daughter. He likes kids."

"I'm not sure anything was wrong with it. Jenny just talked about it a lot. Another thing was the boom box. I saw that one happen, because it was right after someone spilled the espresso. You know that tall cop, L.T., he started playing some music for the party. It was pretty loud. Castle looked kind of pale and sweaty. He acted like he was trying to smile and maybe move with it a little bit, but after a few minutes he covered his mouth and ran out of the room. Beckett yelled at L.T. to turn the damn thing off and ran after Castle. I'm not sure where they went but they were headed toward the Men's Room. I was brought back here and didn't see anything for a while."

"Anything else?" Broom asked.

"Yeah," Mop answered. "Castle and Beckett came back here."

"Now you're getting to the good stuff!" Broom exclaimed, his straws rattling. "They're always fun to watch. Was it hot?"

Mop's tendrils splayed on the floor in mock disgust. "You are hopeless! They came back here to talk, well at first, anyway. Beckett was saying that she knew that the party was an unusual circumstance and she was wondering how he thought he'd do with a regular day at the precinct. He was trying to tell her not to worry about it, but she wasn't buying it. She started telling him about some things she went through. You remember when there was that crazy guy shooting people and leaving paper dolls? She was telling him how she felt. She had tears running down her face as she remembered."

"That doesn't sound like Beckett," Broom interrupted.

"Well, it's what happened," Mop insisted. "Castle looked very sad. He started to kiss her tears away."

Broom jumped in again. "Now we're finally getting somewhere."

Mop's handle banged against a metal shelf. "If you want me to finish, you better shut up."

"Okay," Broom answered sulkily, "go ahead."

"She kissed him back," Mop continued, "but it wasn't like what we've been used to with those two. Usually when they've come back here they've been about ready to burst into flames - don't say anything else! This time it was slow and gentle, as if they were comforting each other. There was a lot of kissing, but lightly, not as if they were going to eat each other. They nuzzled each other and they leaned against each other. Finally Castle just wrapped his arms around Beckett and held her. They just stood there like that for quite a while before they finally kissed again. He put his hands at the sides of her face and told her that if she was there, he could get through anything. She told him she wasn't going anywhere. Then they started to talk about the wedding."

"Here we go again!" Broom said.

"I don't know," Mop responded. "It didn't sound like they were talking about the kind of affair they were planning before. Beckett still wants Lanie as her maid of honor and Castle still wants Alexis as his best man, but the rest of it sounded pretty simple. They were worried about doing it before the weather gets too hot, so I think they're still looking to do something outside, but they were talking about their special place and I don't know what they meant by that."

"Don't worry," Broom reassured him, "between Kevin and Javi, we'll find out. Those guys talk about everything."

"Yeah," Mop agreed, "that is one thing we can count on. One more thing happened though. After Beckett and Castle left, a cop came in. I don't know this one's name, but he made a call on his cell phone and he mentioned Castle. I don't know what it was about, but it sounded creepy."

"I hope everything's all right," Broom said.

"Uh huh," Mop agreed, steadying himself more firmly against the shelving, "me too."


	5. Chapter 5

Summer Mix

Chapter 5

Castle was in his office when the door to the loft buzzed. "I'll get it," Beckett called. Jordan Shaw and Agent Martin Danberg of the CIA stood on the threshold. Danberg put a finger to his lips. She regarded them in surprise as Danberg pulled out a bug sweeper and began to circle the room.

Castle walked in and regarded the scene. "What's going on?"

Jordan Shaw shook her head and made a cutting motion across her throat. Castle stared in silence as Danberg finished his scan. "It's clean," he reported.

"Jordan, what's this all about and what is he doing here?" Castle asked.

"Let's all of us sit and talk," Shaw suggested. "Is anyone else here?"

"No," Castle answered as they seated themselves around the dining table, Castle and Beckett holding hands. "My mother and my daughter are out shopping."

"Good," Jordan said."I'm going to ask Agent Danberg to explain."

"Mr. Castle," Danberg began. "Sophia Turner was associated with a cell of CIA trained sleeper agents. One of them was Agent Corrigan, the man who tried to shoot Xiang Ganghong's daughter. Since it was a domestic operation, the FBI assisted us in the case and in interrogation of Corrigan. We weren't able to get much out of him. His knowledge of operations was kept to a minimum, but we think that the men who abducted you were part of that cell. Sophia was in contact with the entity controlling the cell, those behind Pandora, and involved in their long term planning. That's why they were so concerned with what you might have learned from her."

"Who took them out?" Castle asked. "Was that you? Could you tell me if it was?"

"Danberg smiled. "I probably couldn't tell you if it was, but I can tell you that it wasn't. I would have much rather taken them alive. They might have had useful intelligence. It was obviously someone very plugged in with CIA operations. I was wondering if you might have an idea."

"No," Castle answered. "I never saw whoever it was and you obviously know more about CIA operations than I do. It sounds like both sides think I know more than I do."

"You're probably right about that, Mr. Castle," Danberg agreed. "We've picked up some chatter. Someone is still reporting on your actions. There is a possibility they may try to come after you again. We don't know all the players."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Beckett asked.

"We have a couple of teams on Castle," Jordan answered. "I hope you haven't seen them. If you did, they're not doing their jobs very well. We're continuing to work on the case, but Rick, if you remember anything at all that might help, you need to call me."

"What about my family and Beckett?" Castle asked. "What if they try to take them, use them for leverage?"

"We don't think that's going to happen," Jordan answered. "It would be very messy and probably expose too much of their operation."

"Well it's comforting that you think so," Castle said, "but you've been wrong before."

"We have," Jordan agreed, and "we'll do the best we can to keep everyone safe."

"Thank you, Agent Shaw," Beckett said, standing dismissively.

Danberg and Shaw headed for the door. "Anything, Rick," Jordan reiterated, "call me."

Kate shut the door behind them.

"Kate," Castle asked, "The person who took out those men, was that my father?"

"Rick," she answered, stroking his cheek, "I honestly don't know. I got a couple of texts from a blocked number giving me information while we were looking for you. The final one told me where to find you. It could have been him."

"Mowing down a room full of people, that's certainly his style," Castle said. "Not that I'm not grateful, if he is the one who rescued me, but it chills me sometimes to think that I might have the genes for that in me."

"Come here," Kate said, taking his hands leading him to the couch. "You are not your father. You probably give Alexis more attention in a week than he has given you in your entire life. You're supportive of your mother and you've gone through hell with me. As fierce as you are in defending the ones you love, maybe you just got the better part of his nature."

"I hope you're right," Castle replied, "but speaking of defending the ones I love, I don't trust the FBI and I certainly don't trust the CIA. I'm thinking about some private security."

"Alexis is going to hate that," Kate told him.

"I don't care," Castle replied. "She did a video blog against my better judgment and it helped get her kidnapped. Then there was Pi. She is wise, but not beyond her years, and I'm still her father. Maybe I can find someone discreet."

"You know Esposito has some friends from the military who went into private security. You could ask him," Kate suggested, "or I could."

"That would be great," Castle agreed. "If I ask, he'll probably think I have PTSD paranoia."

Kate pulled out her phone. "He's going to make some calls and get back to me," she reported after a short conversation.

"Good," Castle answered. "What were we doing before we were so obnoxiously interrupted?"

"You were writing and I was working on the guest list for our wedding. Castle, do you think we should continue with that, considering the situation?"

"Kate, those bastards stopped us once. I'm not going to let it happen again. If I have to surround the ceremony with an army, we are getting married - unless you want to wait."

"No way," Kate answered. "You told me once, when I didn't know who was out to kill me, that I couldn't let them rob me of my life. Well I didn't let Bracken do it then and I'm not going to let it happen now." Kate got up and retrieved her list, bringing it back to where Castle waited. "This was our original 297 people. We both agreed that there won't be that kind of room this time. We really have to cut it down to only the people who mean the most to us. Now," she asked, "who do we really need?"

Their eyes met in sweet memory of matching legal pads and matching answers. "You," Castle whispered as their lips met, "only you."

A/N AWM left the whole thing about who was behind Pandora hanging. Maybe he intended to use it and went another way. Maybe he and Amann still intend to use it. Amann did write Pandora. It could even be that they were going to be some of the money behind making Bracken president and AWM went with drug money instead. We'll probably never know. Whatever the original intent was, it makes an interesting thread to pick up.


	6. Chapter 6

Summer Mix

Chapter 6

Kate returned her phone to her pocket. "That was Esposito. He's sending a security guy over for us to talk to."

"When's he supposed to get here?" Castle asked.

"An hour," Kate replied with a mischievous smile.

"What will we ever do for an hour?" Castle inquired, wiggling an eyebrow.

Kate wrapped cupped the back of his neck with her hands. "I really can't imagine." Castle swept her up in his arms. "Guess you're not having any more trouble with your shoulders," Kate noticed.

"If I'm feeling any pain, Dr. Beckett, it isn't in my shoulders. Perhaps you can help me with that."

Kate grinned. "I think I just might have a cure."

Castle gulped as she reached downward. "Hold that thought," he said as he carried her the short but interminable distance to the bedroom. "An hour you said?"

Kate nodded, as he laid her on the bed.

"Then we'll have to make it count."

Clothing quickly made its way in odd directions as time created urgency. There was little softness in their lips as they drew deeply of each other. Castle plunged his fingers deep into Kate's hair as he tasted the special spot on her neck, drawing a moan from deep in her chest. All thoughts of the clock retreated, replaced by rising visceral need. No touch, no taste, would satisfy, but only multiplied the hunger for more. Kate brought Castle to her, loving and guiding his way, but their desperation only grew. Bedding joined the already wild scatter of their clothes as they moved, wanting, yet not wanting release from ecstasy and torment. As the shuddering end overtook them, they were thrown apart by its force. They lay side by side, hands clasped, struggling to return the air to their lungs.

"Wow," Castle breathed as the capacity for speech slowly returned. "maybe we should be expecting company more often."

"I'll make a list of potential visitors," Kate agreed. "How much time do we have left?"

Castle consulted his watch. "Just about enough to put ourselves back together."

The doorbell rang as Kate finished running a brush through her hair. Castle answered it, gazing in surprise at the person in the doorway. Rather than a tough with bulging muscles, the man looked more like a professor. He wore horn rimmed glasses, a business suit with a tie slightly askew, and sported hair begging for a comb. "Mr. Castle?" he asked.

Castle nodded.

"I'm Henry Jasper. Javi asked me to come see you. He said you could use some help."

"Come in," Castle invited somewhat skeptically, as Kate joined him.

Jasper studied the look on Castle's face. "I don't look the part, do I?" he asked.

"Really you don't," Castle answered.

Jasper nodded. "That's actually helpful in my work. I can assure you that I and all my operatives are well qualified. I was special forces, in fact I served with Javi. My specialty, as well as that of my people, is appearing non-threatening and unobtrusive."

"I imagine Alexis, Castle's daughter, will appreciate that," Kate commented.

"I have female operatives who can take care of her, and your mother as well, Mr. Castle," Jasper told them. "There are places men just can't or at least shouldn't go. I'll be supervising the operation. As for the two of you, I would recommend that you pursue your activities with the NYPD. Being surrounded by cops with guns is not a bad situation to be in. From my observations as I came up here, there is a surveillance team on you as well."

Castle laughed. "The FBI is never as subtle as they think they are. Yes, I am being watched, hopefully only by the good guys."

"We can make regular security sweeps of your loft," Jasper proposed, "to make sure there are no unwelcome eyes or ears. We'll keep our eyes on you and your family but try to interfere in your lives as little as possible."

Castle glanced at Kate and saw her look of approval."That sounds good," he said, "When can you start?"

"I'll get the paperwork done, you can sign the contract, and we can start tonight," Jasper told him. "Can you have your daughter and your mother here so we can explain the ground rules?"

"I'll make pasta carbonara," Castle said. "They'll show up."

Jasper chuckled. "I'll see you then."

"Do you think I should call Jordan and tell her that her guys have been blown?" Castle asked Kate after Jasper left.

"If she's with her family, there's no reason to spoil her day," Kate answered. "It's not like she can recall them and retrain them. I went through some of that at Quantico. It's not bad, but I think it requires either a real knack or a lot of experience to get it right. Since the junior people tend to get stuck with the unpopular assignments like sitting in a car all day, this is probably the best we'll get. I'm glad you're hiring Jasper. He reminds me of Indiana Jones."

"You think so?" Castle asked. "I can't see him with a whip."

"I can't either," Kate confessed, "but if somebody started making threatening noises I can see him just pulling out his gun and shooting him."

"Didn't Harrison Ford do that because everyone was getting sick in the heat and he didn't want to do another fight scene?" Castle asked.

"You're much more of an expert on movie trivia than I am, Castle," Kate confessed, "but whatever the reason, it worked. You know, I'm not on duty or on call until tomorrow, but we could take his suggestion and go to the precinct for the afternoon. I have paperwork I can do and you can watch me."

"I like watching you do paperwork," Castle said.

"I've noticed."

"No really, your nose gets little crinkles and you chew on your lip. It's very cute."

"Well I'm glad you find it so entertaining." Kate said dryly.

"I should also thank Esposito for getting Jasper for us," Castle added, "although now he'll probably want my Knicks tickets."

"Are you going to give them to him?" Kate asked.

"Hell yes," Castle answered. "Who needs to watch a bunch of guys play with a ball when I can stay here and play with you?"

"Okay Castle," Kate proposed, "let's go to the precinct now and you can make Espo happy. Then after you've done your business with Jasper tonight, we can make each other happy - again."

Castle pulled her in for a swift but promising kiss. "Deal."


	7. Chapter 7

Summer Mix

Chapter 7

Henry Jasper's Case Notes

I was called in on Richard Castle's case by my old friend Javier Esposito, against my better judgment. There are a lot of players involved and I'm not at all sure I'm aware of all of them. There is some classified information that Castle and his fiancée, Kate Beckett were not at liberty to tell me. From what I did hear, I suspect CIA involvement. I was not only told about involvement of the FBI, I spotted them. At this point I'm not sure if their presence will be a help or a hindrance.

These are the facts as I understand them so far. Richard Castle was abducted on his way to his wedding. A decoy body was placed in his car and burned, perhaps to prevent or delay any search for him. Castle was held for days and tortured, apparently to extract information on someone, now deceased, who Castle could only tell me was a former lover.

Castle was rescued by a person, yet unknown, who terminated Castle's captors with extreme prejudice. Whoever this person was, he communicated by untraceable text with Beckett. He contacted her both before and after the termination. He seemed to have some regard for Castle as he took some steps to make him more comfortable until he could be retrieved by Beckett, Javier, and Javier's partner Kevin Ryan. The four of them appear to be close and have worked together in excess of five years.

There is continued fear for Castle's safety. From what he has been free to tell me, not everyone involved in the operation has been taken out by the mystery man. They did not get whatever information they were trying to obtain and may try again. The FBI team is supposed to be preventing that. Castle is concerned also for the safety of Beckett, his daughter Alexis Castle, and his mother Martha Rodgers. Castle told me that Alexis has previously been kidnapped and that adds to the family's level of fear. Despite that, Alexis appears resistant to the idea of protection, although attempting to appear to capitulate to her father's wishes. Her resistance could potentially be a problem.

I'll be using female operatives to cover Alexis and Martha when they venture outside the loft. I'll have teams covering both entrances at all times when anyone is home. I'll also be doing regular security sweeps to detect any unwanted surveillance. I've assigned Barbara Brixton to Alexis. Barbara is 25 and I hope that Alexis will be able to relate to someone reasonably close to her own age. Barbara has served in the Marines, is adept at multiple forms of martial arts and is an expert marksman. I have confidence in her abilities.

Selecting an operative for Martha presented a bit of a conundrum. Martha is a flamboyant diva and I needed someone who would not look out of place in her presence. I've selected Maya Lee. Maya is a former actress who has appeared in a number of martial arts movies. Her fighting skills are genuine and she also is well qualified with firearms. The presence of another actress should not appear strange and Maya's background may even provide topics for conversation. Maya will be with Martha at her acting school. Her cover will include teaching a martial arts for actors class. She will accompany Martha to the theater as well as shopping trips. I have asked Martha to keep her movements to a minimum and she has promised to try. I don't believe that in any case, she wishes to venture too far from her son at this time. She was extremely upset by his abduction.

We have completed an intensive sweep of the loft. We haven't found any cameras or listening devices but we have found evidence that some were present at one time. We did find some small holes where fiber optics may have been inserted. Castle attributed this to a period when he was being stalked by the serial killer, 3XK, who subsequently framed Castle for murder. I would have had a hard time believing Castle hadn't dreamed up that story for one of his books had Javier not confirmed it.

I have encouraged Castle and Kate Beckett, who is a homicide detective, to spend as much time as possible in the company of other police officers. Although Castle still seems to be suffering some aftereffects from his ordeal, he seemed willing to jump back in the saddle investigating cases with Beckett. As the story was told to me by Javier, Castle started shadowing Beckett, ostensibly to gather research for his books and use her a model for his character Nikki Heat. The relationship evolved into a very effective partnership and eventually into a romance as well. They are already on a case. I have encouraged them to do as much work as possible inside the precinct and let Javier and Ryan cover operations on the outside. So far this seems to be working well, but I detect a little impatience, especially on the part of Kate Beckett to go where the action is. If she decides to do that, Castle will no doubt follow. I am hoping that they will give me enough of a heads up if they do that, to give me time put an operative with them.

There is one other concern. Castle tells me that he has reason to believe that his actions may be monitored, visually, by unfriendlies. He is unable to tell me why he believes this, but I don't believe that he is paranoid. Rather I believe that he has information from a source he is not permitted to disclose. I suspect that may be someone within the CIA. I am checking the backgrounds of people working with and around Castle, especially new arrivals. So far I have discovered a couple of officers who are new to the precinct, replacements for transfers. I wish I knew more about what to look for. So far nothing seems out of place.

I also spoke with the medical examiners who have been involved with investigating the body left in Castle's car when he was abducted, Dr. Lanie Parish and Dr. Clark Murray. Parish is Beckett's best friend and therefore has a deep understanding of the Castle-Beckett dynamic. That could be useful at some point. Murray, however, is much more experienced. He believes that there may be some sort of Eastern European connection. I will be keeping this in mind as I examine the results of background checks.

This case is wrought with pitfalls and complications. One involving neither the CIA nor the FBI is that Castle and Beckett are planning a second run at a wedding. They have settled on a venue which is highly exposed but apparently holds great meaning to both of them. I hope this case is resolved quickly enough that we don't have to worry about security for the ceremony, but if it isn't, I'll work out a plan. I know my people. We will make it work.


	8. Chapter 8

Summer Mix

Chapter 8

"We've got a body!" Ryan called from across the bullpen.

"Do we know who it is?" Beckett asked.

"Not yet," Ryan answered, "but this may be one of the weird ones you like. The body is wearing ice skates. It's seventy-five degrees out and he's nowhere near a rink."

Castle watched as Beckett fidgeted uncomfortably. "You want to go, don't you?" he asked.

"It's all right Castle, the boys can do it," Beckett answered.

"Kate, I know you. This is driving you crazy and I'm not that happy about it either. We can do this, I'll just call Jasper. Ryan have you got an address?" Castle asked.

Ryan walked across the bullpen and handed Castle a post it note. Castle pulled out his cell as he and Beckett followed Ryan and Esposito to the elevator.

Henry Jasper finished his call with Castle shaking his head. He wasn't happy with this development but considered it inevitable. He sent a quick text.

George Burstyn eyed the address from Jasper's text. It was only five blocks away. He would be there before Castle and Beckett arrived.

As Castle approached the scene, he noted a man standing behind the yellow tape, looking not at the body, but at him and Beckett. He nudged Kate, indicating their observer, with a tilt of his head. The man had a build reminiscent of a fire hydrant, short and steely. Castle would have put him at five four and a hundred and seventy-five pounds, none of it fat. In his imagination he could picture the man grunting under a massive barbell. The man crossed his arms, extending three fingers across his forearm, the pre-arranged signal for a Jasper operative. Castle glanced at Beckett who nodded, indicating she had seen it as well.

Beckett and Castle proceeded to look at the body. Lanie Parish was crouched beside it. She looked up at their approach. "No I.D. yet," she reported. "Young male, college age."

"That makes sense," Castle said, "we're not far from Columbia." As Lanie shifted, Castle could see the face of the victim. He marked his view with a sharp intake of air. "I know him. That's Max. He's an ex-boyfriend of Alexis'."

"Do you have contact information for him?" Beckett asked.

"No," Castle replied, "but Alexis probably does. They stayed on good terms, in fact I think they might have been picking up again since she's been home. This is going to be hard for her."

Castle, Beckett, and Alexis sat in the interview lounge at the 12th. Castle held Alexis' hand and Barbara Brixton stood at her side. "Max's parents are in England again," Alexis explained. "I don't have a number for them but it should be on Max's phone."

"There was no phone or anything else on him," Beckett told her gently. "It has the appearance of a robbery."

Barbara Brixton caught Beckett's eye with a questioning eyebrow. Beckett gave an almost imperceptible shrug.

"He would probably have that information on his laptop," Alexis suggested. "He uses it to Skype. It might be at his apartment. I can take you there. He gave me a key."

Seeing Castle stiffen, Beckett squeezed his thigh under the table. Castle did his best not to let his distress show on his face.

"I think we should go then," Beckett said. "Ms. Brixton, will you be joining us?"

"I'll follow you in my car," Brixton replied.

Trailing behind Beckett's unit, Barbara Brixton used her Bluetooth to contact Henry Jasper.

"Jasp, Alexis has a key to the apartment of the victim of the murder Castle and Beckett are investigating. Alexis told me that this was a renewal of an old relationship. Also, the fact that the victim was wearing ice skates might be significant. Alexis showed me pictures of her and Max, the victim. The were ice skating. It doesn't seem like a coincidence."

"No, it doesn't," Jasper replied. "Someone may be using this murder to draw Castle out. It's pretty well known that Beckett and Castle are drawn to odd circumstances and with a family connection there'd be no keeping them away. This could be a set up."

"We're en route to Max's apartment. I'll text you the address. I'm also sending it to George, that's his neck of the woods. Castle's FBI surveillance team is just behind me. If this is some kind of a trap, we'll be prepared."

Beckett pulled up in front of the building housing Max's apartment. Barbara Brixton immediately pulled in behind her. They both noted the FBI finding a place across the street. The building was not typical student housing. It was well maintained and although there was no doorman, had a key and buzzer system. Castle squeezed Alexis' hand as she led the way to the second floor.

"Alexis, does anything look out of place?" Beckett asked as they entered Max's apartment.

"No," Alexis replied, "but Max paid one of the other students to come in a couple of times a week to clean up. He didn't really need the help. It was his contribution to the work study program." Tears started to well in Alexis' eyes and Castle put an arm around her shoulders.

"Alexis, where would Max keep his laptop?" Beckett asked.

"In the bedroom."

Barbara Brixton hung behind as the others followed Alexis and pulled a sweeper out of her pocket. She was almost immediately rewarded with a beeping noise. "Detective Beckett," she called. When Beckett turned to look at her, Brixton put a finger to her lips and pointed to her sweeper. She withdrew her weapon, as did Beckett.

"Let's take the laptop back to the precinct," Beckett said. "We can send a CSU team in here later if we need to search for other evidence." She indicated to Castle that he should pick up the computer. Guns at ready, Beckett and Brixton led the way out of the apartment. Beckett noticed that the door of the utility room off the staircase was open a crack and signaled to Brixton. With one armed woman on each side of the door, Beckett pulled it open. Brixton grabbed the arm of a man inside, pressing on a nerve center that caused him to release his weapon. Beckett took him down with a knee in his back and cuffed him.

"Castle and I will take this guy to the precinct for interrogation. Can you stay with Alexis?"

Brixton nodded. "I'll call you when we're back at the loft, and update Jasper. We have another operative here. You may have seen him at the crime scene. He'll make sure no one else gets into the apartment until CSU get's here." Brixton sent a quick text to George Burstyn. "Your FBI shadows will probably follow you back to the 12th.

"Great!" Castle commented sarcastically. "That really makes me feel safer."

Brixton laughed. "They're probably as obvious to the bad guys as they are to us. They should keep anything too blatant from happening between here and the precinct. As soon as I talk to Jasper, he'll send whomever is necessary to keep you safe."

"Thanks Ms. Brixton," Castle said, "really, thanks."

"Mr. Castle, I'm just doing my job, but you're welcome."

A/N My workload has picked up and I'll be on the road for the next couple of days. I won't be the one driving, so I should be able to tap away on my laptop, but if I can't update on time tomorrow, I apologize in advance.


	9. Chapter 9

Summer Mix

Chapter 9

Mop and Broom

"What is going on?" Broom asked. "What were you doing out there?"

"Beckett was interrogating a suspect," Mop answered. "You know how she can go all bad ass when she gets mad. Well they brought me in there to mop up some water that got spilled. The table was tipped over. I'm guessing she did it."

"What's so special about this suspect?" Broom inquired.

"Well, I'm not 100% sure," Mop explained. "But I heard Javi and Ryan in the Men's Room. There's always something to clean up in there. They were talking about a body that was found with ice skates on. It turns out that it was Alexis Castle's boyfriend. Anyway, for some reason Beckett thinks it has something to do with what happened to Castle."

"That would make smoke come out of her ears," Broom commented. "Did Beckett get anywhere with the interrogation?"

"I don't think so," Mop answered. "I heard Scary Lady telling her to cool down and threatening to send her home if she didn't. Oooh, I think I hear Beckett and Castle coming now."

"There's someone coming ahead of them," Broom said as the door opened and a hand reached for his handle.

"Someone dropped donuts on the floor of the break room again," Broom reported as he was returned to his spot. "So tell me what went on with Beckett and Castle."

"You hated to miss that, didn't you?" Mop gloated. "Well actually I think Castle brought her in here intending to calm her down, as Scary Lady said."

"But?" Broom asked excitedly.

"Well, it was Beckett and Castle," Mop answered. "Castle took her in his arms and kissed her hair. It looked like he just intended to hold her."

"They have been doing that a lot lately," Broom interjected.

"Yes they have," Mop agreed, "but you know those two. One thing led to another."

Broom's straws swayed against the floor. "Like what?"

Mop's handle swayed. "You really are incorrigible!"

"Oh c'mon," Broom said. "You know you want to talk about it. Was it hot?"

"If you mean hot under the collar, at least to start with, yes," Mop told him. "Beckett was really upset. Castle was trying to joke her out of her mad a little bit, but when that wasn't working he decided to kiss her out of it instead."

"Finally!" Broom exclaimed. "So then what happened? Did they do the up against the door thing that he likes?"

"No, you know the pile of slip covers in the corner?"

"Oh yeah," Broom said, "They used them to cover the couches in the lieutenant's office downstairs and the public waiting area until someone donated new furniture."

"That was Castle, you know," Mop informed him.

"I didn't know," Broom answered, "but get back to the subject."

"Okay," Mop continued, "they just used the pile of slip covers and got into it, pretty much the usual. They kissed until they got hot and then got into matters more deeply."

"Cute," Broom said.

"Beckett seemed to feel better afterward and Castle gave her a final kiss and they left," Mop finished.

"Did they say what's going to happen to the suspect?" Broom asked.

"No, but Castle said something about the FBI. I have no idea what's going to happen with that. Is somebody else coming?"

"That sounds like Javi and Dr. Lanie. I wonder what she's doing here?" Broom mused.

"You should pay attention," Mop told hm. "She and Beckett are best friends. I wouldn't be surprised if Castle called her, or Beckett called her herself. I don't see Javi not taking advantage of an opportunity if it presented itself."

"Shut up!" Broom exclaimed. "I want to listen."

"What did you think?" Mop asked as the door closed behind a departing Esposito and Parish.

"I think I'm disappointed," Broom complained. "Almost all they did was talk. Just a couple of kisses! What was that?"

"That was them being concerned about their friends," Mop scolded. "Lanie said that the murder victim was very expertly killed with a single knife thrust. That suggests a very well trained and dangerous killer. If he's after Castle or Beckett or any of Castle's family that's bad."

"That is bad," Broom agreed. "What was that?"

"It sounded like a gunshot!" Mop answered.

* * *

"It's been really quiet," Broom complained. "Nobody's taken us out and no one's been in here for hours."

"A little rest isn't bad," Mop replied.

"It's boring!" Broom grumbled. "Wait, I hear somebody now."

"Wasn't that the same creepy cop we saw talking in here before? The one who was talking about Castle?" Mop asked.

"It was," Broom agreed.

"I didn't really understand what he was talking about this time. What do you think that was all about?" Mop asked.

"He said something about a lock down and a loose end being taken care of. He also said something about scrutiny preventing him from doing anything further," Broom answered.

"What's a lock down?"

"You really don't pay attention, do you?" Broom replied. "When something bad happens they don't let anyone in or out of the precinct, that's called a lock down. They also try to make sure they know where everyone is and keep anyone who doesn't have to from moving around too much. That's probably why it's been so quiet."

"Something bad like what?" Mop asked.

"A shooting," Broom replied. "It could be about the gunshot we heard."

"Do you think Creepy Cop shot someone?" Mop asked.

"I don't know," Broom answered, "but it's possible. I don't like this. Oooh, I think I hear Beckett and Castle again. At least neither one of them got shot."

"Wow, That was something!" Mop exclaimed. "Beckett threw that door open hard enough to make all the shelves vibrate. I think a few of the sponges took a tumble"

"I don't know who was more upset, Beckett or Castle. What was Beckett saying about losing their only lead?"

"I think the lead was whoever got shot," Mop speculated. "I bet that was the loose end Creepy Cop was talking about. He was afraid whoever it was would spill something to Beckett, and shot him."

"Why would a cop shoot someone who's a lead in Castle and Beckett's case?" Broom asked.

"I don't know," Mop told him, "but I think this is very bad."


	10. Chapter 10

Summer Mix

Chapter 10

Journal of James Beckett

June 9, 2014

Dear Johanna,

Things are still rough for the kids. Katie picked up another murder case, which, except for someone being killed, should have been a good thing. It would have been nice to see things get back to normal. Unfortunately the victim was Max, a boyfriend of the closest thing we have to a grandchild, Alexis Castle. Rick and Katie, as well as the people from the security agency that Rick hired, suspect that the murder was for the purpose of drawing Rick and possibly Katie out. There is some evidence of that. Max's apartment was bugged and Katie and a security operative captured a suspect at Max's building. Katie tried to get something out of him, but he was murdered, right at the 12th Precinct. The murder took place in holding. The surveillance system had been temporarily disabled and the shooter is still a mystery. Katie suspects that the shooting took place to keep her suspect from talking. From what I've been told, Rick's security people agree.

So far I've only met one one of the security people. Her name is Maya Lee. She's been assigned to guard Martha. Martha and I had lunch yesterday, in part so she could give me her view on what's been happening. Maya was along. She's actually a former movie actress and a martial artist. She and Martha were taking turns telling stories about their adventures in movie making. I think Martha might have felt that her place as star was being challenged. She kept trying to one up Maya. It was actually pretty funny. Maya was talking about how she choreographed a fight with five men armed with nunchuks. She told us that one of the men lost control and gave her a black eye. He felt so guilty at the failure of his skills, that he took her to fancy restaurants for a week. She ended up gaining five pounds and had to beef up her already vigorous workouts to lose them again.

Martha told a story about being menaced by bears when she was shooting a scene where she was kidnapped and confined in a cave. She gave a dramatic description of bears getting so close that she "could feel their hot breath on her face." I am afraid that I laughed and she was furious. We almost had a baseball moment, you remember that story, but Maya distracted her with a recital of the dangers presented by bears. Martha heartily agreed with her and calmed down. If the other operatives of the firm are as adept at handling people as Maya is, Rick picked the right firm. I expect to meet Alexis' watcher soon. I'm taking Alexis to a baseball game and fortunately she is not allowed to go anywhere without her shadow. Katie told me that the owner of the security agency, Henry Jasper, was recommended by Detective Esposito. They served in the special forces together. I find that comforting. From my observations, Katie and Rick do too.

I am both proud and scared that Katie is continuing to work on plans for the wedding. Katie and Rick have chosen a venue, but they are keeping their choice close to their vests. I understand that it is outside and very meaningful to both of them. Other than that, I know nothing and can't even hazard a guess. The attendants haven't been changed and Katie still intends to wear your dress. She had to get it cleaned. She was wearing it when she ran out on the road at the sight of Rick's burning car. The cleaner was a genius. It looks perfect. You'd never know it bore witness to that much trauma. I'll be walking Katie down the aisle or whatever passes for an aisle at whatever the venue is.

Martha is desperate to help. Katie and Rick have kiboshed the idea of having her handle the flowers, because of her behavior the first time. In any case, they said marriage venue would not accommodate decoration. They have picked somewhere indoors for a reception. Martha has been sworn to secrecy but she did tell me that it is a place that doesn't normally serve that function and is within walking distance of the wedding venue. With assistance from Alexis, I suspect a _lot _of assistance from Alexis, Martha is in charge of obtaining tables, chairs, and decorations appropriate to the location. In her usual fashion, she has made it into a grand production.

It is a very good move on Rick's part to get Alexis involved with the preparations. Doing something positive should help distract her from Max's death. She has experienced so much fear and sadness for one so young. In a way I believe it is bringing her closer to Katie. They have both had to grow up before their times. I sincerely hope that her troubles, as well as Katie's and Rick's, will soon be at an end.

Forever Love,

JB

June 10, 2014

Dear Johanna,

There is a little more information on the suspect who was shot at the 12th. Lanie found the same Eastern European connection that Dr. Murray found in the body in Castle's car. She is still running DNA to compare to Dr. Murray's results, but she suspects that she may find the men were relatives.

Now to happier news. It has been agreed that I am in on the secret of the location of the reception. It is going to be in a bookstore. The store is significant for a couple of reasons. The most obvious one is that Rick has sold a lot of books there. There are more important reasons stemming from Katie and Rick's history. The first one is that it is the store where Katie waited in line for an hour to have Rick sign her book long before that actually met. She knew how much you loved those books. She felt closer to you when she read them. Eventually she came to love them as much as you did. I think she came to love Rick then too, even if she wouldn't admit it. The second reason is that the store was part of Rick and Kate's reconciliation. You probably remember how I told you about Katie pushing Rick away after she had been shot. Katie came to see Rick again at that very store. Rick was still hurt and angry at Katie, but it was the beginning of the reforging of the bond between them.

From what I understand, the strongest bonds were formed and solidified at the venue they have chosen for the actual wedding. The guests will be told the general area in advance and the actual location as close to the ceremony as possible. Rick and Katie have said that doing it that way will make the experience more special for them.

I suspect there is another reason. They are concerned about security and are afraid that if the actual location of the wedding is leaked somehow that they will be putting themselves and their guests in danger. God knows that they don't need any more unease. A wedding should be a celebration. Nervousness should be about marriage, not about armed assassins. I truly hope that the occasion will be celebrated with nothing but hope and joy.

Forever love,

JB


	11. Chapter 11

Summer Mix

Chapter 11

Alexis Castle's Diary

June 11, 2014

This is certainly less fun than a video blog, but after Paris I became convinced that Dad was right, I was putting too much out for all the world to see. I know it seems to some people that Dad is like that all the time, always putting on a show. Of course it's not true. The person most of the world sees it not Dad. Very few of us actually know him. I think I may be more like him than I used to be willing to admit. Of course I look more like Mom, or maybe even like Gram, but I have developed the urge to put things down on paper, or at least in a text file. There are so many things going on right now, they just swirl around in my head. I am hoping that this diary will help.

First there was Dad's kidnapping and all the fear associated with that. Then there was Max's murder. Dad, Kate, Barbara, and the other security people all seem to think the events are related. They haven't shared with me how. It's not that Dad ever lies to me, but there are things he won't tell. I think he feels that where current circumstances are involved, the less I know, the better.

I'm not sure how I feel about Max's death. I wasn't really in love with him. I think the rekindling of our relationship was more of a comfortable way station. He was someone I could be with and hold onto until I met someone who really struck all the right sparks. Still I liked him and in a way loved him, even if I wasn't in love with him. Dad had me talk to a counselor Dr. Burke recommended, about Max's death. Dr. Dean is very kind, very beautiful, and almost scarily perceptive. She's helped me see that the thing that is hardest for me to cope with is that I'm afraid that if he wasn't with me, Max might still be alive. Intellectually I know it's not my fault, but I feel guilty anyway. That is something I'll have to work through.

Max's funeral is tomorrow. Max's parents had to come back from England, although I guess they had staff people working on arrangements before they made it home. I'll be there. Dad and Kate and Gram will be too, out of respect for me. Barbara hasn't said much, but I think she's afraid it will be a security nightmare. She'll be with me of course and Maya will be with Gram. I don't know who'll be there for Dad and Kate. I'm sure Henry Jasper has a plan to keep all of us safe. If Max's murder really was was related to Dad's kidnapping, then someone might use the opportunity to take or hurt any of us. That is a terrifying thought that I'd love to put out of my mind, but I can't. Even though I really hated the idea of having a bodyguard, I like Barbara and I'm very impressed with her skills. I think she's even more of a bad ass than Kate. She is also pretty nice to talk to. She knows about everything that is going on and I don't have to be careful about what I say. She's also young enough to talk to about boys without the eww factor.

Speaking of the eww factor, from what I've overheard, I understand that some or all of what's happening now relates somehow to Dad sleeping with the woman who was a model for Clara Strike. Dad refuses to tell me much of anything and that's just as well, but I get the feeling that he feels guilty about it, just as I do about Max. I suppose if there is anything I learned from my experience with Pi, it's that no matter how smart you think you are, you can be pretty blind when it comes to your choice in lovers. I really think Dad has finally gotten it right with Kate, though. Thinking about him with Mom, or Gina,, or his girlfriends always had an ick factor. But when I see him with Kate, it seems natural and right. Even when I've seen them in bed together, (not doing it of course, I'm not that much of a voyeur,) but just being next to each other, it gives me a feeling of warmth. I'm happy that he and Kate found each other and finally realized that they are meant to be together. I admit that it took me a while to accept it. I didn't like the danger that Kate brought into Dad's life, really into all of our lives. But I've come to see that danger has been there all along and much it has nothing to do with Kate. Some of it, maybe a great deal of it, is as a result of who my grandfather is. Even the current troubles might be related to that in some way and there's certainly nothing we can do about it. You never know what's going to happen. You can be kidnapped by a spy, run over by a cab, or just get bad sushi. We all have to live with that and do the best we can to not be stupid.

On the subject of Dad and Kate, we are planning a wedding again. The reception is going to be at a bookstore, of all places. I suppose that's appropriate to a best selling author. Apparently Dad and Kate have some more sentimental reasons as well, but they haven't explained them to me. Gram and I are pretty much in charge of getting things set up, as we were in the Hamptons. I've found a party rental company and a caterer and Dad got me a supplementary credit card for the purpose. I've also booked a D.J.. Gram is helping with the more theatrical aspects such as table displays and themed decorations. Dad has not given her a credit card. I actually get to approve and sign for everything. I think that may be Dad's way of reining Gram in. She does go to extremes and I love her for her elan, but she can take things to the point where Dad and especially Kate get freaked out.

As to the actual wedding, I still don't know where it is. Dad is handling the arrangements, in agreement with Kate. He has told me that it is walking distance from the book store and that it is outside. There are a few places that fit that description, especially given New York City definitions of walking distance. That could be blocks in any direction. Henry Jasper knows of course, as do Barbara, Maya, and any other operatives who might be involved providing security. Barbara didn't say it out-rightly, but I got the impression that wherever it is, it is too open to make Henry and the others happy. I do know that Dad and Kate will not be swayed. Whatever their reasons, and they haven't told them to me, it is a really important place for them. I am really happy that they have a place that is so meaningful for them. I hope that some day, with whomever I choose, or whoever chooses me, I'll have a place like that.

A/N Some of you guys are good guessers.


	12. Chapter 12

Summer Mix

Chapter 12

Henry Jasper sat in the van outside the funeral home gazing at screens and listening to the audio feed. All his operatives were equipped with button cameras and two way ear buds. They were in complete communication. He hoped that all this was an unnecessary precaution. The memorial service itself wouldn't be too bad. It was a closed controllable space with limited ingress and egress. He was much more concerned with the caravan to the cemetery and what would happen graveside. A sniper had taken advantage of a funeral to shoot Kate Beckett. It could happen again. So far it appeared that whoever was after Castle was more interested in a capture than a kill, but a shooting could be used to generate confusion in which a snatch and grab could take place.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. His people had been at the doors handing out memorial programs, giving them a chance to get a look at the arriving mourners. They hadn't seen anything that set off warning bells. Alexis Castle was scheduled to be one of the speakers. Barbara had been with her when she wrote a speech about Max and his joy in life, good nature, and love of poetry and knew how it went. Alexis would be out of arm's reach when she delivered it, but Barbara could also make sure that no one got near her.

He listened to the tributes as they were given. He had a list of scheduled eulogizers on the program but there would also be a time at the end before the final music and viewing when anyone could come up and speak. They would have to be especially alert to that.

The service passed without incident until mourners were lined up in the aisle to file past the casket. Smoke began to filter into the room and someone loudly called fire. Pandemonium broke out. Immediately Barbara drew her weapon and Maya did the same. George Burstyn rushed toward Castle, drawing his gun as he went and Beckett drew her own weapon.

The funeral director tried to give instructions for an orderly evacuation, but the microphones had been disabled and he was shouting unsuccessfully over the noise of a panicky crowd. Following a pre-planned emergency escape scenario, Jasper's operatives herded their charges toward a fire door behind the altar. An alarm sounded as they pushed the bar that freed the lock, creating even more disorder, but they were out of the building. Jasper met them, urging them toward the van. They were secured inside with Maya standing guard and Beckett at alert, both on the inside, while Jasper took the rest of his team to search for whomever might have set a fire.

George Burstyn spotted four men watching the two doors from which poured a torrent of coughing mourners. He signaled to Jasper who gave instructions through the ear buds to all of his people. The men were brought down swiftly and quietly with a coordinated effort, and taken to unassuming sedans that Jasper's operatives used for transport.

Jasper returned to the van, identifying himself to Maya through her ear bud and reported what had happened. "You can't take those guys to the 12th!" Castle exclaimed. "The last guy was taken out and we still don't know who did it."

"Our FBI shadows are here and useless as ever," Beckett said. "But they're probably going to want these guys."

"In all the confusion, I doubt that they saw us take them down," Jasper replied. "It looked to me like they were still looking for Castle to come out the door. I have a place where we can take them to question them and get some forensic evidence. Then we can quietly turn them over to Agent Shaw." Castle and Beckett nodded their assent.

Alexis and Martha were dropped off at the loft in the care of Barbara and Maya. Castle and Beckett accompanied Henry Jasper to interrogate the captives. Jasper maintained a facility in a nondescript building in Brooklyn. The interrogation took place in a room sparsely furnished with only a table and chairs. The heat in the room was kept at an uncomfortably high level. The prisoners were cuffed. Jasper, Beckett and Castle had bottles of water placed in front of them. The prisoners had none. The prisoners were searched for identification, but none was found. "Who are you?"Jasper asked. The prisoners remained silent. Henry Jasper unlocked their cuffs long enough to get their fingerprints and then re-secured them. He also took swabs of their mouths and drew blood from their arms.

"You can't do that without a warrant," one of the prisoners protested at the sight of the needle. "I couldn't if I was a cop," Jasper replied, "but I'm not. If you want to go to the cops and try to press charges against me for assault, you can try, but I suspect that is the last thing you want to do. Now I'm going to ask you again, who are you?"

The prisoners continued to remain silent. "All right, we'll just find out," Jasper said. "You might want to come with me," he told Castle and Beckett. "I think you might appreciate this." Jasper led them out of the room, signaling George Burstyn to go in to sit with the prisoners. Jasper led Castle and Beckett to a fully equipped forensics laboratory. "We can run DNA and most other kinds of analyses," he explained. "I'm going to scan the prints and run them. They probably aren't in the system, but we may get lucky."

"You can get into the data base?" Castle asked. Jasper gave him a crooked smile. "I have my ways and I also have a lot of friends in low places. We'll get it done. You guys might want to relax in the lounge. It's a lot cooler in there than in the interrogation room. I have a feeling those guys are already going to be uncomfortably thirsty. Then when we give water to them, they'll be another kind of uncomfortable."

Jasper saw Castle blanch and wince. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to bring anything back on you." He led the way down a hall and opened the door to another room. "Here, make yourselves at home. There's a refrigerator, microwave, snacks, and a rest room. Consider it your home away from home. When we have anything, or those guys are ready to spill, I'll call you."

Castle found themselves in a room with a large inviting leather couch and leather chairs. The amenities Jasper had promised were there, as well as a large screen TV and a gaming console. Castle stretched out on the couch, holding Kate in his arms. "Are you all right?" Kate asked.

"Fine," Castle told her. "I finally feel like we might be getting somewhere."

"I know what you mean," Kate agreed. "At least if Jasper finds something, it won't be snatched out from under us."

"What do you want to do while we're waiting?" Castle asked, smiling and stroking her hair.

"Well," Beckett replied, sitting up so she could frame his face in her hands, "Jasper did suggest that we might have a snack." She lightly brushed his lips with her own.

"He did say that," Castle replied. "I guess I'll just have to see what tastes good." Their lips met again. "My favorite," Castle murmured.

Kate pressed against him, deepening the kiss, "Yeah, me too. Did Jasper lock that door?"

"Hold that thought," Castle told her. "I'll just go and check."


	13. Chapter 13

Summer Mix

Chapter 13

Castle and Beckett drowsed on the couch in the lounge at Jasper's headquarters until they were awakened by a knock on the still locked door. After they quickly finger combed their hair and straightened their clothes, Beckett answered it, gun at ready. It was Henry Jasper and he was smiling. He joined them in the lounge, occupying a chair while they sat together on the couch, hands clasped.

"We finally got some luck," he reported. "One of these guys was picked up in a random stop and frisk. He was nervous and resistant so they took him in and printed him. No charges were ever brought but his prints were in the system. He is Anatoly Burkoff. He's originally from Eastern Europe but is a naturalized citizen.

It will take a while before we get anything off the DNA, but we did run the hemoglobin test that was run by Dr. Murray on the body in the car and by Dr. Parish on the suspect that was shot at the 12th. We got the same result. These guys are all related. This may be one big spy family. So far we haven't been able to get anything out of them about whom they work for, but Anatoly seems less determined than the rest. We're going to interrogate him separately. I was wondering if you wanted to sit in."

Castle and Beckett rose from the couch with simultaneous agreement. Jasper led them to a small room where a handcuffed Anatoly Burkoff sat at a table. He was squirming, looking in desperate need of a trip to a rest room. Beckett sat opposite him with Jasper and Castle on either side of her. She stared at him silently as he continued to shift in his chair. Beckett picked up a water bottle and took a long, slow draught, allowing Anatoly to watch the action of her throat as she swallowed. She licked the drops of water from around the rim of the bottle before she recapped it.

"Please," Anatoly pleaded, I really need to..." He groaned as a wet stain bloomed in his crotch.

"How embarrassing," Castle commented. "and in front of a beautiful woman too."

"Anatoly," Jasper said. "We can get you out of here, get you some dry clothes, all you need to do is tell us who you're working for."

"I'm doing this for the good of my family!" Anatoly exclaimed.

"The good of your family?" Beckett repeated. "Four members of your family died after kidnapping and torturing Castle. Another burned in the car and another was taken out at the 12th. It would seem to me that whatever this operation is about, it's destroying your family, not saving it."

Anatoly put his face in his cuffed hands. Beckett, Castle and Jasper sat silently, waiting. "I don't know who they are," Anatoly confessed. "I know that they are paying for a study to help members of my family and people like us."

"A predisposition toward leukemia?" Castle asked.

Anatoly nodded. "And other things. They have been helping us and supporting us for a long time."

"And in return you do things for them?" Castle encouraged.

"Yes," Anatoly agreed. "We weren't trying to kill anyone. Even Mr. Castle, the family didn't do anything that wasn't approved by your own country as an extreme interrogation technique."

"Most of this country didn't approve of those techniques at all," Jasper told him, "however what we need to know now is anything you can remember about your employers. No one else in your family needs to be hurt or killed."

"I don't know very much," Anatoly told him. "They communicate through burner phones and a drop box. I can tell you where the drop box is. That's all I can do."

Jasper unlocked his cuffs and gave him a pad of paper. "Give me an address."

"We're going to check out the drop,"Jasper explained after Anatoly had been lead off. "You can wait back in the lounge or I can have you taken back to your loft."

"I want to go back to the loft," Castle said. "I want to research the disease Anatoly described and see if I can trace the funding for any studies or trials. I also want to talk to Lanie and Murray and see if they have any ideas or information about it. That could give us a whole new series of leads."

"That sounds like a good idea," Jasper agreed. "I'll send George Burstyn with you just in case any more members of the Burkoff family are lurking out there. He'll get you inside, do a security scan and watch the outside. Maya is with Martha at her school and Barbara is with Alexis while she visits with Max's family."

* * *

"Who was on the phone?" Castle asked, still hunched over his laptop as Kate joined him in his office.

"It was Dr. Murray," Kate reported. "He has some information. He'll be here in about ten minutes. I let Burstyn know. What have you got?"

"This has been difficult," Castle replied. "Just now I found some references to the research, but most of it has been in Russian. I was going to run it through a translation algorithm."

"Let me see," Kate told him. "My Russian is still pretty good."

"I didn't think you'd want to get into Russian after your experience with Vulcan Simmons' operation," Castle said, "but here." Castle got up, giving Kate access to his computer.

Kate examined what was on the screen and carefully worked her way through several documents. "From what I can tell, these studies were funded by one of the Russian oligarch families that made a grab in the kleptocracy that happened after the fall of the Soviet Union. They have tentacles reaching not only into the rest of the former Soviet bloc but into the Russian mafia in the United States."

"Wasn't the Russian mob one of the investigations going out of the AG's office? Wasn't the CIA involved?" Castle asked.

"Castle you know I can't tell you about that. My secrecy oath didn't end because they fired me. But you already know what you know. There's nothing I can do about that."

Castle looked thoughtful as the doorbell rang. Kate, Castle, and Murray sat around the table. "This is what I have been able to uncover so far," Murray explained. "We're seeing two different things with the Burkoff family. One is the "E" hemoglobin. That really has nothing to do with their primary disease, it's just an indicator of geographic origins. The other problem is a failure of the immune system. We all develop cells that would be cancerous, but in most cases our immune system catches them and destroys them. This family has a vulnerability to many forms of cancer as well as other diseases. I can understand why they would be desperate for help from any source."

"So they'd be easily exploited by someone promising any hope for a cure?" Castle asked.

"Exactly," Murray agreed. "They also would not be very healthy. They'd want to stay out of the sun to minimize chances of skin cancer and they might have a lot of infections as well. If there are anymore of them out there, you might look for pale skin and extensive use of antibiotics."

Castle nodded. "I did notice that they seemed to be pale. There was also some coughing going on. But right now our biggest worry is not the Burkoff family, but whoever has blackmailed them into this operation. Thank you very much Doctor."

"I just hope this helps, Castle" Murray said. "I fully intend to continue to be a consultant on your books."

Castle smiled. "Count on it."

"Been quite a day, hasn't it," Kate said, after Murray had been ushered out and Jasper had been apprised of the results of their research.

"It has," Castle agreed. "I, for one, could really use a hot shower. Care to join me?"

Kate reached a hand toward his back pocket. "Right behind you."


	14. Chapter 14

Summer Mix

Chapter 14

Castle's cell rang at 1:00 A.M. Both Castle and Kate sprang to wakefulness immediately and Castle put the phone on speaker so that Kate could hear. Henry Jasper reported that the drop box that had been used to contact the Burkoffs had been accessed. One of Jasper's operatives was following the person who had appeared and had also taken photographs through a night scope. The person appeared to be one of the cops recently transferred to the 12th. Jasper was double checking the identification and reviewing the file of the cop involved. He suggested that Castle not go near the 12th until they could be fully sure of the facts and had established a plan of action. He also mentioned that he had contacted Agent Shaw about turning over the captured members of the Burkoff family and that arrangements would be made for later in the day - much later in the day. Jasper promised to be in touch at a more reasonable hour.

As the call ended, Castle gazed at Kate, excitement flashing from the blue of his eyes. She ran her fingers through his bed mused hair. "Something tells me you're not ready to go back to sleep," she said.

"No," Castle agreed, "not when this case is breaking wide open. We've found out more in the last couple of days than we have since I was captured. I can't wait until we find out more about that cop from Henry. He could be the real connection to the whole operation."

"I think we could find something to do with that energy," Kate purred.

"I think we could at that."

The tension of the preceding days exploded with the touch of their lips. There was no tentativeness, no holding back. Hands and mouths were everywhere, savoring the heat and feeling it shoot through their skins. As if a fuse had been lit, the force continued to build to the inevitable explosion.

Drained and calm with Kate in his arms, Castle floated between wakefulness and a flow of vivid dreams. He could see Sophia Turner, hear her voice, but he didn't understand the words she spoke. They roiled in his mind, finally finding an exit through his own mouth to Kate's ears. Her eyes flew open at the unexpected sounds. Castle had talked in his sleep many times, but he had never done so in Russian. She grabbed a pen and a pad of paper from the nightstand to take down what he said.

Castle woke to the sight of Kate sitting against the headboard, studying words she had written. "Now you're the one who can't sleep," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Castle, were you dreaming about Sophia?" Kate asked.

"C'mon Kate, we talked that out a long time ago, you're the only muse I've ever loved."

"Castle, I'm not talking about any feelings you might have had for her. You were talking in your sleep in Russian and I was wondering if you might have been repeating something you heard her say."

"I think she was in the dream somewhere but it was all jumbled and I don't remember," Castle answered. "What did I say?"

"You said the name Rostoff, and you were talking about the elements of the plan being in place. Things were scheduled to start in August of 2014."

"Wow!" Castle exclaimed, trying to absorb what Kate had said. "Whatever the plan was, that must be what they thought I knew about when they questioned me. I never knew I heard anything because I never understood what I was hearing. I knew Sophia spoke Russian, she spoke several languages. I just thought that was part of her job at the CIA. It never occurred to me I might have heard something I shouldn't have. We need to contact Danberg."

"Do you even know how?" Kate asked.

"No," Castle answered, "but Jordan Shaw must. They were working together. We're going to need to do more than turn over some prisoners. I'm going to call Jasper, tell him as much as I can of what just happened and get us in onthe meet."

* * *

As Henry Jasper turned his prisoners over to Agent Shaw in a pre-arranged empty parking lot, a black SUV pulled up. Castle flinched at the sight of the car and again at the sight of the two black hoods Agent Danberg was holding as he exited the vehicle. "Mr. Castle, Detective Beckett," he said, "you remember the routine. I'll try to keep you as comfortable as possible."

Kate squeezed Castle's hand as they climbed into the car and the familiar coverings were slipped over their heads. To Castle, the ride seemed impossibly long. He was sweating inside his hood and felt as if the cloth was cutting off his air. Kate's fingers wrapped in his were a lifeline. He concentrated on the feel of them, the warmth, the tiny bump on Kate's middle finger from interminable paperwork. He noticed that she had broken a nail and suspected it had happened early that morning. The memory brought back a vision of her he could see behind his eyelids. He clung to that vision until the trip reached a conclusion and the hood was removed.

They were in the familiar elevator, but they were taken not to the room with screens and keyboards, but to another chamber with a vaguely medical feel. "Mr. Castle," Danberg said, "we are going to help you recover whatever memories you might have of anything Sophia said. I'll be recording this for our analysts. They'll be looking for anything at all that will give us an idea of what Sophia was involved with."

A technician entered the door. Castle spied the hypodermic in his hand and shouted, "No way! I've had enough of shots to make me talk, for a lifetime."

"Mr Castle," Danberg soothed, "it's a new drug. There are no aftereffects. You won't even know anything happened."

"This can't be the only way," Castle protested. "Can't you hypnotize me or something?"

"This is more effective and much more reliable," Danberg argued. "Look, we'll read Detective Beckett into anything necessary. She's already got considerable knowledge of the Russian mob from her time with AG."

"You spoke to Villante?" Kate asked.

Danberg nodded. "This case is directly related to some of the activities he has been monitoring, but I suspect you already knew that. Mr. Castle, Detective Beckett can be right here with you. You'll be all right."

Castle swiped his arm across his forehead, wiping away the sweat that threatened to drip into his eyes. "Kate...," he began.

"Castle," she answered, "Danberg better be on the level about the safety of this drug or he will die in unimaginable pain." She looked straight at Danberg. "You know I can and will do it, so tell me again: Castle is going to be fine."

Danberg looked at the tech, who nodded. "Detective Beckett, Castle will be fine."

"You better count on it," Beckett warned. "Castle, I'll be here and I _will_ do them serious hurt if anything goes wrong."

Castle was urged to lie down and close his eyes as the lights were dimmed. The technician was skilled and he barely felt a prick as the needle slid into the vein in his elbow. He was floating, wrapped in a warm blanket. Unaware, even that Kate was quietly stroking his hair, he heard only the questions put to him. Words echoed through his mind, words he didn't understand, but he spoke them. Finally, the questioning voice faded away and he slept.

The first thing Castle saw when he awoke was the subtle green glints in Kate's hazel eyes. "Welcome back," she said. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Castle answered. "I guess Danberg was telling truth."

"He's a lucky man that he was," Kate responded.

Castle laughed. "How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours. You had a lot to say. Apparently Sophia dropped a lot around you, knowing you couldn't understand her. It was quite a conceit on her part."

"So there was a plan?" Castle asked?

"There was," Kate confirmed, "one that would have had worldwide economic consequences, whether Pandora had worked or not. Now that we know, we have a chance of heading it off. It's a good thing you talk in your sleep."

"I'm looking forward to you hearing me talk in my sleep for the rest of our lives," Castle said, running his fingertips down Kate's jaw.

Kate smiled. "Yeah Castle, me too."

A/N I'm going to be traveling again and it will be a little more complicated this time. I'll try my best to keep up. I'll be at the private house of one of my business partners, (the rich one), where the host assures me that there is wi fi. I'll also be on a private plane where I'm pretty sure there won't be. I have to convince some people that I'm a genius. Wish me luck! I'll need it.


	15. Chapter 15

Summer Mix

Chapter 15

Castle was slowly beginning to relax after a hooded return to the loft. He had hoped that it would be a little easier, but he had again sweated his way through the blackness. He would have liked to have a glass of wine, or better a glass of scotch, but he had been warned against indulging in alcohol for twenty-four hours after the administration of the drug the CIA had used to stimulate his memory. He was considering asking Kate if she wanted to share a pint of chocolate ice cream, assuming Alexis had left him one, when Henry Jasper rang the doorbell in an agreed upon cadence.

Kate let Jasper in and he spread the contents of a file out on the table. "These photos are the surveillance of the man who accessed the drop box last night," Jasper explained. "The rest of this is deep research into his background. He wasn't who he claimed to be. He looks like the cop he has been claiming to be, be we got his fingerprints off a coffee cup he used this morning and they don't match the prints on record. We're testing the cup for DNA, too, but that will take a while. The prints aren't in the system. He has no local family who would know he isn't who he says he is. I'm afraid that the real cop, Justin Burley, who was supposed to transfer to the 12th, is in a landfill somewhere. This guy, whoever he is, was planted at the 12th to watch Castle, and also took out the man Kate and Barbara nailed at Max's apartment."

"The bullet that killed that suspect was compared to the service weapon of every cop in the precinct," Kate said. "He must have had a gun hidden somewhere. We need to notify Gates that one of her cops is an imposter."

"I suggest that you do that," Jasper told her. "She'll trust you."

"I'll call her right now," Kate said.

Kate explained the situation to the captain. Gates put together a plan calling the faux officer to her office so that he could be isolated enough to minimize the danger to anyone at the precinct when he was arrested. Kate's pleas to participate in the capture fell on deaf ears, but Gates agreed that Kate and Castle could be in on the interrogation.

Captain Gates herself held a gun on the suspect while Esposito, Ryan, and Karpowski came in behind him, relieved him of his weapons and cuffed him, none too gently.

Captain Gates, Beckett, and Castle, sat across the table in interrogation from the newly captured prisoner. "Who are you?" Beckett asked.

"Are you people all crazy?" the man asked. "I'm Justin Burley. I'm a cop. I work here."

"If you're Justin Burley then you managed to change your prints. Cute trick!" Castle commented.

"These," Beckett told the false Burley, spreading out photographs on the table, "are you, accessing a drop box used by a family guilty of kidnapping, torture, and involvement in a plan against this country. As far as I'm concerned, you're a domestic terrorist. You can be held indefinitely with no lawyer, no rights, unless you cooperate."

The prisoner smiled defiantly.

"Who's Rostoff?" Castle asked? The pupils of the phoney cop dilated and stains became visible under his arms.

"You're scared of Rostoff," Castle told him.

"You should be too," the prisoner retorted.

"Not as much as you," Beckett told him. "You were sent to take out someone who got caught and knew too much. Someone will be sent to take you out. The only chance you have is to cooperate with us."

"You can't protect me from Rostoff," the prisoner protested.

"You certainly can't protect yourself," Beckett told him.

"He can sit in holding and consider it for awhile," Gates said. "We'll talk again," she added with a hint of a smile.

"Unless someone takes you out first," Castle added.

The false Burley was handed over to two uniformed officers to be returned to holding, while Beckett supervised to reassure herself he actually got there. "We need to find out more about Rostoff," she told Castle as she returned to where he waited beside her desk. "I need to contact people at the AG's task force."

"No need," Carl Villante told her as he made his way across the bullpen. "I've had a team here since your almost wedding day. You do have a talent for getting yourself into trouble, don't you Mr. Castle? You were in pretty bad shape when we found you. Not as bad as when you managed to get yourself poisoned in D.C., but still pretty bad."

"That was you?" Castle asked. "I thought, well never mind. Thank you - again."

"I think you may be up to putting a dashing Colombian-American in two books now," Villante said, but the truth is that we needed to know what you know as much as Rostoff did."

"Well, Kate actually knows more about that than I do," Castle replied, "but if you want the full picture you're going to have to talk to the CIA. Good luck with that."

"Actually I already have," Villante announced. "Danberg and I have been working together. Jordan Shaw wanted to get involved, I guess she has a soft spot for you, so she's been talking to me too. The only one I don't know is your man Henry Jasper. I wish I did. He's good."

"No argument there," Castle agreed. "So with all this rare and beautiful inter-agency cooperation, what do we know about Rostoff?"

"He is at the center of a web of the Russian oligarchs," Villante explained. "He's involved with drugs, money laundering, banking. If what we understand from your latest information is true, his plan includes manipulation of the world oil spot market."

"That's what I heard too, Castle," Beckett affirmed.

"So how do you get to him?" Castle asked.

"The guy you just sent to holding may be our best chance. We'll just have to convince him to cooperate. That and whatever the Burkoff family knows, if anything," Villante told him.

"What about Castle?" Beckett asked. "Is he still in Rostoff's cross hairs?"

"I don't know," Detective. "As plugged in as Rostoff is, he may know that the CIA already has any information that Mr. Castle had and decide Mr. Castle is no longer worth the trouble. If not, he may still try to find out what Mr. Castle knows. Or he may decide to come after Mr. Castle out of pure meanness or revenge. We do know that there is nothing left of the Burkoff cell. That was his major operation in the area, so that is a positive. Still, it would be in Mr. Castle's best interests to keep Henry Jasper and his people on the job until we know more."

"Will you keep us apprised?" Beckett asked.

"As much as I can," Villante said. "and you keep me apprised of whatever you can get out of the guy in your cell.

"Deal," Beckett agreed.

After Villante left the bullpen, Castle sighed, his shoulders drooping. "This is never going to end, is it Kate?"

"It will Castle," Kate comforted. "We got Bracken and we had a lot less help. No one is mistaking Rostoff for a good guy. A lot of people, good people, are on our side."

"You still want to go through with the wedding, Kate?" Castle asked.

Kate framed his face with her hands and kissed him without reserve. Damn straight!"

A/N Posting this early because I have to get on the plane very early in the morning, at a time when I usually edit and post. I'm getting pretty good at writing in a moving car with my laptop on my lap. My non-rich business partner is much amused. He is also a Castle fan.


	16. Chapter 16

Summer Mix

Chapter 16

Castle tossed restlessly. He was hurriedly driving to marry Kate and was surrounded by black SUV's. They were in front and behind him. They pulled up on either side, buzzing like angry bees. He wanted to get away, to get to the wedding. A huge man climbed out of the SUV beside him, leering. More men appeared from an army of cars. They towered over Castle's car, grinning menacingly. "What do you want? Who are you?" Castle yelled.

The chorus of answers came in a hissing rasp. "Rostoff!"

"I don't know anything," Castle screamed "Leave me alone!"

"No!" the ugly giants hissed. "Unless you stop us, we'll stop you."

"Stop you? How can I stop you?" Castle asked.

Castle could see the monsters were held together by money, pasted over cracks in their bodies. He began to pull at the bills and the giants crumpled in ragged pieces. Castle clawed at the paper, trying to pull it loose. The wind blew the edges of it upward, out of his grasp. He reached for the strange currency, flailing as he lost his balance, kicking as he fell.

"Castle!" Kate yelled, grabbing his shoulders as he kicked all the bed coverings to the floor. "Wake up!"

Castle came to consciousness with a painful exhalation of breath. "Kate!"

"I'm right here," she reassured him, lightly touching his face. "Bad dream?"

"Yes, no," Castle answered. "It was frightening, but it also told me what we have to do to bring down Rostoff. He runs on money. He needs it constantly to support his empire. Stop the flow, even for a brief time and the whole thing falls apart."

"Castle, how are you going to do that?" Kate asked.

"I think we'll need some help from Chief Villante, I'll probably have to write him into a third book. But tracing money is something I've gotten good at. I did a lot of it after you got shot. If Villante can help us put a legal hold on some of it, we can throw a wrench into Rostoff's operation."

Kate looked down at Castle thoughtfully and slowly nodded. "Castle, it just might be worth a shot. Can you do your research at the precinct?"

"Yeah," Castle answered, "why?"

"I want to get in there, now. With any luck our suspect may be feeling more cooperative after a night in holding."

"Sounds good to me," Castle told her enthusiastically. "Maybe he can give me a lead to some kind of starting point."

* * *

The suspect looked considerably less defiant than he had the day before. His clothes were wrinkled and rank, his hair wild, and his teeth mossy. He was obviously unaccustomed to spending time in such spare surroundings. Castle gazed at him across the table with what he hoped was an air of sympathy. "It doesn't get any better," he said. "If you are thinking about helping yourself, you're better off doing it now. If Rostoff sends someone, I think we both know it will be to take you out, not to get you out."

"What do you want?" Faux Burley asked.

Beckett pushed a yellow legal pad and a pen across the table. "We need everything that you know about Rostoff. We need to know anything that you've seen, whether it is the name of a bank, where he gets his shirts done or where he orders pizza. We need anything you've heard or even smelled. And before even that, we can start with your name - your real name."

"My name is John, Ivan actually, but it was anglicized, Smirsky. I have never met Rostoff, but I have dealt with a couple of his lieutenants. We've mostly used drop boxes and burner phones, but we have had a couple of meets. I only know first names and I don't know if they're real."

"All right," Beckett replied, "we need the addresses of those meets and descriptions of those men. Then we're going to put you with a sketch artist."

Smirsky started to write. Castle watched him, reading upside down. "What is Jurgens?" Castle asked.

"It's a warehouse," Smirsky answered. "They maintain some kind of business inventory there."

Castle pulled out his phone, googling for information. After studying his screen, he glanced at Beckett and inclined his head toward the door. Beckett nodded. Castle took up a station at Beckett's desk, leaving her to complete the interrogation. He began to trace the ownership of the Jurgens warehouse.

Beckett delivered Smirsky to a sketch artist, leaving L.T. as his minder. She found Castle deeply into the chase on her computer. So intense was his concentration that he wasn't aware of her presence until she stood behind him and caressed his neck. He glanced up at her. "I'm sorry. You need your desk. I can go back to the loft to work on this until you're finished here. Castle rose, kissing Kate on the temple as she took her seat. "See you later."

"Hey," she called as he headed to the elevator, "I think George Burstyn is your watcher this morning. Make sure he has you in sight."

Castle smiled at her obvious concern. "I will. I'll call you when I get there."

Kate returned his smile. "Good."

Castle barely remembered to call Kate, so intent was he on continuing his research. The ownership of the Jurgens warehouse was a web so tangled and deep that it almost screamed the involvement of a shadowy figure like Rostoff. As evening approached, Alexis returned with Barbara Brixton, bearing Stephano's special basil and sausage pizza. Castle called Kate to ask if she would be joining them and was happy to hear that she was on her way.

After the group had all made their way through at least the first slice, conversation turned back to the case. "Did you get anything else out of Smirsky?" Castle asked.

"We got some pretty good sketches," Kate answered, "but we don't know who they are. So far, not much of anything else he's told us seems to be helpful. You?"

"I have been following the trail of Jurgens warehouse and it is leading to a nest of other holdings. There are a lot of paths to follow. Rostoff and company have their thumbs in a lot of pies."

"I can tell you're anxious to get back to it," Kate said.

"How?" Castle asked?

"You didn't dive after the last slice of pizza."

"I'll have you know I was just being courteous," Castle protested. "Basil and sausage is Alexis' favorite. But I am hot on the trail. Did you need me for something?"

"Castle," Kate purred, putting her hands behind his neck, "I always need you for something. But in this case, I'm as anxious to see what you find out as you are, so tell me when you're ready to come up for air."

"Believe me," Castle told her with a quick kiss, "you'll be the first to know.


	17. Chapter 17

Summer Mix

Chapter 17

Castle climbed into bed at three A.M. as quietly as possible, trying to avoid waking Kate. He could just make her out by the city lights that leaked through the window, and gazed at her in quiet incredulity. After every hurdle they'd faced, after everything that had happened, this remarkable woman was still with him, a glowing presence his bed. The thought of her being there for life was what kept him chasing an answer, even as his eyes blurred and his shoulder muscles cramped. Castle just wanted to spoon, to feel her against him, but as they touched she stirred.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Kate asked drowsily.

"I think I may have," Castle replied. "We'll have to run it past Villante, but I don't think you should wake him. I'm sorry, I didn't want to disturb you either."

"You didn't disturb me," Kate told him. "I was sort of listening for you to come to bed."

"That anxious to find out if I made any progress?" Castle asked.

Kate turned to him, running a finger over his lips. "That too."

"Did you have something special in mind?" Castle asked, toying with the pearl button at the top of her long flowered sleep shirt."

Kate cupped the back of his head, feeling the soft strands against her fingers. "Very special," she murmured. As Castle moved closer for a kiss, she covered his mouth with her hand and shook her head. Slowly, she began to trail kisses into the vee of his t-shirt, stopping briefly to pull it over his head when she hit a fabric barrier. She continued to blaze a path downward until he could no longer be still.

Fingers deep in Kate's hair, Castle grasped her head, bringing her lips to his while pressing tightly against her. He stripped away her shirt as she had his. The collision as they came together again was inelastic, the closeness such that there was no division, no border. They were part of each other, each motion feeding them both. They supped until the fullness overflowed, blanketing them in in a tingling mantle of sensation as they clung to each other, limbs still entwined.

Castle lightly stroked Kate's creamy skin as he held her. "If that was the special, I'll order it again."

Kate looked up into the ever hypnotic pools of blue. "For you, it will always be on the menu."

Castle wrapped his hands around a hot coffee mug as Kate called the contact number for Carl Villante. Putting the phone on speaker, she laid it on the counter between them. "Sir," Beckett explained, "Castle believes he has a way we can stop Rostoff. "

"Mr. Castle," Villante responded, "so far it has been my experience that your instincts are more than good, so tell me what you have."

"Starting with a warehouse Smirsky gave us, I've been tracing Rostoff's business interests," Castle explained. "There are layers and layers, but most of it feeds through a chain of banking connections. In particular, there are a series of transactions that stash money in the Caymans and then feed it back through a bank here in the states. His businesses seem to draw on accounts from that bank. If you can freeze those, he should be largely shut down. I can send you as much as I have. If I recall, your people are extremely well equipped to track down the rest. If you can get the Attorney General's cooperation, you should be able to cut off the head of the snake."

"Mr. Castle, this is a secure line, but I don't want any of your information going out over the web," Villante told him. "I'll come to you. Half an hour?"

"Fine," Castle agreed, "I'll put it on a drive for you."

"How secure is your system?" Villante asked. "Could Rostoff's people hack in and see what you were looking at?"

"No, certainly not without great difficulty." Castle answered. "I already had strong firewalls to protect my manuscripts and Henry Jasper's people added more. Jasper also put me on a more secure browser and search engine. My histories have been wiped as well."

"Good to know," Villante said. "I will see you soon."

Leaving his coffee on the counter, Castle immediately went to his office to prepare for Villante's arrival. He had already transferred his Rostoff file to a drive which he had placed in his office safe, but he retrieved it to make a copy while carefully keeping his computer offline as an extra precaution.

"Your coffee got cold," Kate reported as he returned to the kitchen. "I made some fresh, I also found some muffins in the freezer and warmed them up. We can feed Villante when he gets here."

Castle smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "A bribe never hurts. We should have a few minutes yet. Can we talk about the wedding? We don't have much time left."

"Is everything all right with the space?" Kate asked.

"Totally nailed down," Castle told her. "I made a rather sizable donation for equipment to Park and Rec and they were more than happy to cooperate. We can do it in early evening when most of kids would be heading home for dinner. We'll have the area for two hours which should be more than enough. Mother and Alexis will have the reception set for whenever we're ready."

"What about Jasper's people?" Kate asked.

"Well Henry still doesn't like it," Castle confessed. "But I've made him understand that we aren't going to change our minds. He has a plan in place."

"Wow!" Kate exclaimed. "We're really going to do it this time, aren't we?"

"I'm considering calling Neil deGrasse Tyson and checking to make sure there aren't any asteroids heading for New York," Castle told her with a grin, but barring that, nothing is going to stop us."

Their lips had just met when the doorbell buzzed. Castle answered it, frustratedly swiping at his lips. "Am I interrupting something?" Villante asked.

"No sir," Beckett called from the kitchen. "We're ready for you."

Villante demurred on coffee and muffins and soon left with the drive, promising to be in touch.

Castle brushed a muffin crumb from the corner of Kate's mouth as they finished the meal Villante had rejected. "Are you ready to go to the precinct?" he asked.

"I want to make a stop on the way," she replied.

"Where?" Castle asked.

"Our venue," Kate answered. "I know Jasper will have someone watching us, but I just want to sit there with you for a little while, think about our life together, our future, before we hear about someone else being killed."

Castle lightly caressed her cheek. "Let's go."


	18. Chapter 18

Summer Mix

Chapter 18

Castle and Kate were gently swaying as they held hands when Kate's cell alerted her to a text. "We have to go, Castle," she said regretfully.

"Body drop?" Castle inquired, while already sure of the answer.

"Yeah," Beckett answered.

* * *

Lanie was kneeling by the body when Castle and Beckett arrived. "This is nasty," she reported, "someone beat her to death."

"Any I.D.?" Beckett asked.

"No," Lanie answered, "but there is a tattoo on her breast." Lanie looked at Beckett. "Isn't this Russian?"

Beckett felt a shiver run down her back at yet another Russian connection. She and Castle looked at each other before she nodded at the medical examiner. "It means mine. Someone had laid claim to her. Do you have a time of death, Lanie?"

"It looks like late last night. I may be able to nail it down better when I get her back to the lab."

Ryan and Esposito approached after a conference with uniformed officers. "We're going to canvass the area," Ryan said. "We're also checking dumpsters to see if someone trashed her I.D."

"Okay," Beckett responded. "Castle and I will go back to the precinct and see if anyone matching her description has been reported missing, although with that time of death, a report would probably not have been filed yet."

"Do you get a bad feeling about this?" Castle asked as he slid into the passenger seat beside Beckett.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," she counseled despite her own misgivings. "This might have nothing to do with your case. There are Russian women in the sex trades. She may even have been a mail order bride. We'll just have to see what we find out."

Finding no reports of a missing person matching the description of the victim, and receiving nothing useful from Ryan and Esposito, Castle and Beckett visited the morgue to see if Lanie had further information. "What have you got, Lanie?" Beckett asked.

"She was killed sometime between eleven and three, but let me tell you, girlfriend, this was one high class lady."

"How so?" Castle asked.

"Well to start with, she had perfect dental work, at least before she was punched in the mouth. High grade veneers, pretty expensive. Then there were the breast implants."

"Oooh, can I see?" Castle asked, knowing he'd receive an elbow in the ribs from Beckett.

"Nothing much to see, Writer Boy," Lanie informed him. "I already removed them, but they were top of the line. I couldn't find serial numbers, though. They may have have been done outside this country. Also the clothes are couture. I'd guess the outfit including the shoes would have run her six figures."

"If she was a sex worker, she must have been a really good one," Castle commented.

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Probably someone's wife or mistress. We may get a report in yet. If the clothes are couture, they're one of a kind. We should be able to trace them. Do you have the details, Lanie?"

Lanie handed her a file with descriptions and pictures. "The labels were cut out," Castle noted, reading over Beckett's shoulder.

"I know who we can go see who can identify them," Beckett said.

"Matilda King?" Castle asked.

Beckett nodded.

* * *

"You better not tell her what happened to the dress," Castle said as they approached the offices of Modern Fashion.

"I won't," Beckett agreed. "I did invite her to the wedding because she gave it to me, but she had a conflict and sent her regrets. She never would have seen me in my mother's dress and it wasn't in the newspaper reports either."

"Kate," Matilda greeted as Beckett and Castle were shown into her office by yet another new assistant. "I read about what happened. Mr. Castle, I'm glad to see you in one piece. What brings you back here?"

Beckett opened her file on the desk in front of Matilda. "We found these on a murder victim. We were wondering if you could tell us who made them."

Matilda put her reading glasses on her nose and studied the pictures. "Well the dress is Krisjan. He's a new designer who has had a meteoric, if undeserved rise after a victory on a reality show. The shoes are Perkonso, and this," she said pointing to a photo. "Was this in her hair?"

"It was," Beckett answered.

"You might start with that. That's from Natasha. She designs every piece to fit the personality of the wearer. She'd probably know right off the top of her head whom she made it for."

"Can you give us contact information for these designers?" Beckett asked.

"Of course," Matilda answered, pressing buttons on her computer. She handed Beckett a printout. "So tell me, are you two going to try again?"

"Very soon," Beckett assured her. "We've been keeping the date under wraps because..."

"I understand," Matilda told her. "Security concerns. I'll be in Europe the next few months anyway. We're starting a sister magazine of Modern Fashion over there, but I wish you every happiness."

"Thank you, Matilda," Beckett said, impulsively kissing her on the cheek. "Good luck with the new magazine."

"It looks like the lioness has become a pussycat," Castle commented as they returned to Beckett's car.

Beckett laughed. "I wouldn't count on it. The people in Europe had better move their asses. I'm glad that she won't have to see me wearing my mother's dress though. It would probably break what passes for her heart. Let's go see Natasha."

Not at all what Castle expected, Natasha was short and round with capable stubby fingers and shining brown eyes. She looked at the picture of the hair ornament. "Yes, I made that for Larisa Azaraya. Is she all right?"

Beckett ignored the question. "Do you have an address for her?"

"She lives with Sergei Bulikov," Natasha answered. "I can get it for you."

Natasha's filing system was old style dead tree. She copied an address and phone number out of her book and handed it to Beckett. "Watch out for Sergei," she cautioned. "He's very generous to Larisa but he can also be very mean."

"Thank you," Beckett said.

"You know, you have lovely hair," Natasha told her. "I could make something beautiful for you."

Kate began to decline, but Castle interrupted. "How about for a wedding?" he asked.

"Yes of course," Natasha answered. "I could have it done next month."

Castle shook his head. "Way too long, but thank you."

"Castle are you trying to adorn me?" Kate asked, as they left.

"Why not?" Castle asked. "I adore you."

Kate stood on tiptoe and framed his face in her hands for a quick kiss. "Let's go see Sergei. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll be the murderer. We can solve this case by the end of the day."

"If we do, we can go to Q3 for dinner," Castle suggested, "I hear Maddie has revised her menu."

"Sounds great," Kate agreed.

* * *

It soon became apparent that Q3 was not in the offing for the evening. Sergei Bulikov had not beaten his mistress to death. His hands were completely unmarked. He had just returned from a business trip and still had the boarding pass on his phone. He had been surprised not to find Larisa at home, and was much distraught to hear of her death. Beckett and Castle brought him to the morgue to make the official identification, then interviewed him in the interrogation lounge.

"Mr. Bulikov," Beckett asked, "can you think of anyone who would have wanted Larisa dead?"

"No," Sergei answered. "Everyone loved her. I can't imagine who would do such a thing. Could she have been attacked and robbed?"

"It's possible," Beckett told him. "She didn't have a purse or a phone. We will do our best to find out."

"Good," Sergei said, in a way Castle found strangely unconvincing.

"He's holding something back," Castle told Beckett, after uniforms had been dispatched to take Sergei home. "I don't think he wanted us to find out who did it. I think he knows, and he's afraid."

"All right, Castle," Beckett said. "Give me your theory."

"I think Sergei works for the Russian mob. He screwed up somehow and they killed his mistress as a punishment. They may even have removed her I.D. so he'd think she left him after his failure."

"Castle, most of the time I'd dismiss that as one of your flights of fancy, but with what's been going on lately, anything is possible. Let's see what we can find out about Sergei Bulikov."

"I'm going to go back over my information on Rostoff to see if Bulikov is connected somehow," Castle said. "I need to return to the loft to use the information on the drive I have in the safe."

"Be careful, Castle," Beckett cautioned.

Castle smiled. "I noticed that George Burstyn is following us around again today. Maybe I can catch a ride with him."

Beckett returned his smile. "Okay, call me if you find anything."

Castle pulled her to him and kissed her hair. "I'll call you anyway."


	19. Chapter 19

Summer Mix

Chapter 19

Case Notes of Carl Villante

One of the reasons Jared Stack recruited Katherine Beckett for the Attorney General's Task Force, aside from her effectiveness in solving the downing of a drone, was her closeness to Richard Castle. We have been aware for some time of his former relationship with the late double agent Sophia Turner. While Castle himself was never suspected of any wrongdoing, it was always possible that he had some insight into Turner's activities. We further suspected this possibility when Castle was abducted and poisoned when he became involved in an investigation of the activities of Secretary Reid and the resulting coverup. As it turned out, the events were unrelated.

This was not the case with Castle's recent abduction. In uneasy cooperation with the CIA we discovered that he was indeed taken by a cell associated with Rostoff, who is in control of the North American operations of the criminal syndicate of the Russian oligarchy for whom Turner worked. While Rostoff's operatives were unsuccessful in extracting any information from Castle, through some intervention of Beckett, the CIA was more so. That train of events triggered Castle to investigate Rostoff's operations on his own.

While it has always been obvious that Castle is a highly creative out of the box thinker, we were surprised by just how successful his investigation was, in part due to a clue from a captured operative, Ivan Smirsky. Smirsky made the grave error of committing a murder in Beckett's jurisdiction, in fact in her precinct. His capture was almost inevitable.

Castle turned over the results of his investigation to me, prior to yet another murder. The victim is Larisa Azaraya, the mistress of Sergei Bulikov. Castle suspected, or more accurately feared, that the death of Azaraya was related to Rostoff. After reviewing the investigation he had already done, he pursued an investigation of Bulikov to the point where he discovered that Bulikov was involved with a number of businesses linked to Rostoff. At that point, he informed Beckett, who contacted me.

I met with Castle and Beckett, for the second time in a day, while Castle communicated what he found. We have taken control of the investigation of Azaraya's murder. The transfer of jurisdiction was upsetting to Beckett and even more so to Captain Gates of the 12th Precinct, who considers it an intrusion on her authority. It is that. It was a locally committed crime and would normally be a matter for the NYPD. Unfortunately Gates doesn't know the implications of the case and neither I, Beckett, nor Castle are free to inform her.

Castle has engaged his own private security, in the person of one Henry Jasper and his operatives and resources. From my observations, Jasper has done a job that can only be described as superlative. I truly wish that we could recruit him and his operatives for our task force. Perhaps that will be possible at some future time. Despite the protection of Jasper, I feel that Castle, Beckett, and Castle's family will be safer not pursuing the Azaraya case and Bulikov's connections to Rostoff.

Normally, I would not expect that Beckett and Castle would leave the case alone just because they have been instructed to. Both of them tend to be unrelenting stubborn in their pursuit of the truth. Beckett also has an uncompromising obsession with the administration of justice. It is that obsession that led to her separation from our task force. She is unwilling to live with the gray areas that politics require. While I considered that position untenable for the type of work we do, I nonetheless have a deep admiration for her dedication and her effectiveness. At this time, there is an additional factor. Beckett and Castle are planning to accomplish the wedding that was postponed by the abduction of Castle by Rostoff's operatives. The wedding is scheduled to take place this weekend and they are fully committed to its execution no matter what else might be occurring. Thus they are more committed to their marriage than to the murder investigation.

Until Rostoff's operations are disabled, Castle and Beckett's wedding plans are still in peril. It is the belief of the CIA that Rostoff is unaware that the CIA now possesses all the information that Castle had. Rostoff still wants to know what Castle knew of their plan, and to prevent its transmission. In my opinion, this could be easily remedied by a carefully controlled leak, but the CIA will have no part of that. They are much more interested in their security than Castle's.

Castle has provided a plan for Rostoff's demise that may be viable. He has provided considerable information on the flow of cash in Rostoff's operations and points of vulnerability. I have passed Castle's findings on to my own people for further investigation. They have been impressed by his work and are very encouraged that we can accomplish a shutdown of Rostoff's operations with enough cooperation from the Attorney General.

It is my task to get the cooperation that is required. We will need a simultaneous shutdown of all of Rostoff's funding sources. That means that we will need orders to freeze a number of accounts. The orders will have to be obtained quietly and executed quickly enough that Rostoff will have no time to develop alternative resources. All of that requires slicing through red tape to obtain the required documentation and a perfect execution of those documents once they are obtained.

I have already been in conference with the Attorney General. He has agreed to put his force behind the required paperwork. Since this operation is entirely domestic, the execution will be carried out under the auspices of the FBI. This is somewhat disturbing to the CIA, as their opinion of the FBI's competence is less than sterling. Since the opinion of the FBI concerning the CIA is similar, we have the complication of some intramural infighting. I have found CIA operative Martin Danberg a reasonably cooperative colleague and I am counting on him to keep his people in line. Agent Shaw of the FBI has also been quite cooperative. If all goes as planned, our operation should be a go in less than two days. Theoretically the Rostoff operation should be brought to a halt a full day before the Beckett-Castle wedding. That is not much of a margin. Whether we make that deadline or not, I know that Henry Jasper has a fully developed security plan for the affair. Still, I fervently wish that we succeed by the appointed time. Perhaps I am overly sentimental, but after all Castle and Beckett have endured, I am hoping to contribute to a happy ending.


	20. Chapter 20

Summer Mix

Chapter 20

Mop and Broom

"What is going on with Scary Lady?" Mop asked Broom as he was returned to the Janitor's Closet.

"She's having some kind of discussion, a loud discussion, with her sister Elizabeth in her office. She broke some kind of ugly knickknack, that's why I was there." Broom answered.

"What about?" Mop inquired.

"As near as I can tell, it has to do with a case Kate and Castle are working on," Broom replied. "Jurisdiction on the case got transferred to the Attorney General's office. Scary Lady seems to think her sister should know something about it. Her sister says she doesn't."

"Do you believe her?" Mop asked. "You sound doubtful."

"I'm not sure," Broom mused. "It might have been that I was stirring up dust, but she was rubbing the side of her nose. I've noticed that humans sometimes do that when they're lying. I wonder what Kate and Castle think about it."

"I think we may find out," Mop said excitedly twirling his tendrils. "I think I hear them coming."

"There's another set of footsteps ahead of them," Broom told him nervously. "I hope..."

"Okay," Broom ordered Mop as he was returned to his place. "Tell me everything that happened with Kate and Castle while I was gone, especially the good stuff."

"And by good stuff I assume you mean making out," Mop said.

"Off course," Broom answered. "Get to it!"

"Sorry, they started out by talking about the murder," Mop told him. "They were actually pretty glad that the Attorney General's office is intervening."

"Why?" Broom asked.

"They were talking about someone named Rostoff," Mop reported. "They seemed to believe that Rostoff was behind the whole thing and that if someone named Villante can help bring Rostoff down, they'll have an easier time getting whichever of Rostoff's henchmen actually did the killing. Also, they were talking about the wedding. They both seemed to think that the wedding would be a lot safer if Rostoff is taken down before the ceremony."

"When is the ceremony?" Broom asked.

"They said Saturday," Mop replied. "That's soon. Isn't today Thursday?"

"It is," Broom confirmed. "I saw the calendar on Scary Lady's desk. That's exciting, although I hope their marriage doesn't slow down their activities in here."

"What!" Mop exclaimed, handle jerking sharply. "Is that all you care about?"

"Right, and you don't enjoy it too!" Broom retorted. "Anyway, what happened next?"

"As I said," Mop told him brusquely, "They were talking about their vows. Kate has already written hers. Castle hasn't finished his. Kate called him the 'Master of Procrastination.'"

"I think I heard his daughter say the same thing once," Broom commented.

"Kate was laughing and smiling when she said it, though," Mop said, "then she did her thing where she grabs his behind."

"Now you're talking," Broom enthused. "Then what?"

"He did that move where he grabs her and pull her tight against him," Mop described.

"Oooh, I love that one!" Broom proclaimed.

"Don't I know it," Mop said drily. "Well you know where things go from there."

"Up against the door?" Broom asked.

"Yes," Mop affirmed, "but he was more joyful than ravenous. Despite everything that's happened Castle seems really happy. Both of them do. When they finished, they just leaned against the door smiling at each other. They didn't leave then either. They started talking again."

"About what?" Broom asked with surprise.

"They talked about putting on a show about being upset about being excluded from the murder investigation," Mop answered. "They were talking about what they would say to Kevin and Javi and of course Scary Lady. They are pretending that they don't know what Villante is doing, but they do. From what I was able to understand, Villante is actually working from a plan Castle suggested. Kate is absolutely amazed by that, but also very pleased. She told Castle she's proud of him."

"Just told him?" Broom asked.

"Yes, there was a kiss," Mop replied with an air of disgust. "You never stop, do you?"

"You don't want me to," Broom protested. "You just love talking about those two and you know it."

"I suppose," Mop agreed grudgingly. "Hey! They're coming again."

"That's not Kate and Castle," Broom corrected. "That's Javi and Dr. Lanie."

"Do you understand what that was all about?" Broom asked after the door closed behind the departing couple.

"It sounded like Dr. Lanie found some evidence in the murder and Kate told her to give it to Villante," Mop answered. "Javi was really surprised and upset because he didn't think it was like Kate. He thought Kate would want to pursue it herself and he was asking Dr. Lanie if she understood. Lanie said she thought Kate was distracted by the wedding. She told Javi not to worry about it."

"It sounds like Castle and Kate aren't really fooling their friends," Broom speculated.

"Kate has never been able to fool either Dr. Lanie or Javi that I can remember," Mop said.

"That's true," Broom agreed. "Listen! I think that really is Kate and Castle coming back this time."

"Why do you think Kate and Castle brought that phone in here?" Broom asked as the door clicked behind the duo as they left.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mop replied. "They didn't want to be overheard. They were talking to that Villante guy and they didn't want anyone to know about it."

"I'm not sure I got everything they said. Was I hearing about Rostoff again?" Broom queried.

"If I got it straight," Mop explained, "This was it. Castle asked Villante when the plan is scheduled to go into effect. Villante told him tomorrow morning. Beckett asked about how many accounts would be involved and how many operations would be shut down. Villante gave her some numbers. I don't remember what they were."

"Whatever they were, those two sure looked blissful," Broom opined. "That was quite a kiss!"

"I have to agree with you there," Mop told him. "I don't even know who started it. They just came together and stayed that way."

"Well they did have to breathe eventually," Broom said. "Humans always do. But as hot as they were, I thought they'd do a repeat of their earlier performance."

"You think you know so much about humans," Mop lectured haughtily, "you should know that they usually don't do it twice that close together, still they certainly were as into each other as I've ever seen them."

"That is saying something, What was Castle whistling as they left?" Broom asked.

"You know, I'm not sure," Mop answered. "I've heard a couple of women humming it in the Ladies' Room. Officer Hastings did that just before she married that reporter who's always hanging around. Maybe it's a wedding song."

"That sounds right," Broom agreed. "Dum dum de dum sounds like a bride walking down the aisle. I never thought about it before, but I wish I could watch Kate do that. It has been so long coming."

"For once you're right," Mop admitted. "That would be nice. Anyway, I hope everything goes all right this time and they'll be as happy as they were just now."

"Yeah," Broom said, his straws scratching wistfully. "Me too."


	21. Chapter 21

Summer Mix

Chapter 21

Mixed Perspectives

Journal of Richard Castle

Sometimes I can't believe that I am not still back in that room and that this is not just some drug-induced hallucination. I am certainly seeing, hearing, and feeling exactly what I've wanted for so long. Tomorrow Kate and I are getting married. This is so unlike my other marriages. I don't know if I can even call them marriages. With Meredith, with Gina, we were together legally and physically, but there was never the mating of what for a lack of a better word I can only call souls. Kate and I not only share each others' thoughts and rhythms, it is as if we need each other to be whole. I read a story once that said that originally all humans had four arms and four legs. They were thrust apart into halves and we all search the earth for the other part of ourselves. That always seemed ridiculous to me until Kate. Now I not only understand it, I almost believe it. I can't imagine living without Kate. I would give up the homes, the cars, the toys, all the fruits of my success as long as I could be with her, and not just in bed. I want to eat with her, walk with her, talk with her, or even just sit quietly and read the paper. As much as I love Alexis, I would love to have more children with Kate. But even if that doesn't prove to be possible, I will be content to have her in my heart, in my arms, and in my life.

Kate teased me because I was so slow to finish writing my vows. Compared to writing those, a Derrick Storm or Nikki Heat novel is a walk in the park. If a word or thought in a novel is wrong, an editor can change it. I might complain, but in the scheme of things, it is less than trivial. My promises to Kate are the most important thing I can imagine. I have never given fully to anyone, except perhaps for Mother and Alexis, and those were relationships in which I found myself, rather than ones I might have chosen. I am choosing this and I choose to do it as perfectly as one incredibly flawed human can. So I will make the promises I desperately hope to keep, because they are the promises I desperately want to keep.

We have heard from Villante. The execution of the plan started at 3:00 A.M. this morning. All the documents were delivered as business and banking opened across timezones. So far things look good. He has promised to keep me updated. I'm sure there are a number of things he won't tell me, but I am grateful for anything he shares. Lanie did send him information about DNA she found on Larisa Azaraya. He has access to a number of data bases, foreign and domestic. After the operation against Rostoff is complete, he may be able to help identify the actual murderer. That would certainly calm Gates down.

Henry Jasper has been briefing me on the security plan for tomorrow. I fervently hope that we won't need it, but I am endlessly grateful for Henry's services. Alexis and Mother will have Barbara and Maya as their usual shadows. Kate wants to get ready, with some help from Lanie, at her own place. Henry will have a team there. George will be with me and drive me to the ceremony. Henry's people will do full surveillance of the venue in advance, so hopefully if there are any stragglers from Rostoff's operation they will spotted. I think Henry's bill will be a good part of the royalties from _R__aging __H__eat,_ but I don't care. This marriage will take place even if there is an alien invasion. The next time I write, Kate will be my wife.

* * *

The Journal of James Beckett

Dear Johanna,

Tomorrow is Katie's wedding day, again. I am hoping that this time the tears I see will be happy ones. I am told that everything is being done to ensure the safety and security of the ceremony. As usual, as of late, there were many things that Rick and Katie couldn't tell me, but they did say that there is a government operation to take the party who is responsible for Rick's abduction out of the picture and in fact out of business. I don't know what other crimes may be, or have been, involved, but I gather that the import is considerable.

Alexis has called at least three times to make sure that I'll make it to rehearsal and be appropriately dressed. No one except Castle will be wearing a tuxedo this time because of the decreased formality of the event. I think he is just wearing his to make up for missing out the first time, the same way Katie will be wearing your dress. I can understand that. Not that he and Katie will match the bride and groom on top of the cake. As I understand it the cake toppers will be wearing bullet proof vests that say police and writer, with a tiny pin prick of a bullet hole over the "I" in writer where Rick accidentally got shot by a fan he was clearing of murder. That case is particularly dear to their hearts because it got Katie rehired by the NYPD. Alexis didn't like it much. She wasn't a fan of her father getting shot, even wearing a vest. I can't say that I blame her. Alexis told me that she has had a very hard time keeping Martha from going completely over the top with the police theme at the reception. Martha wanted to transform the bookstore into the precinct. Alexis talked her down into having toy badges for napkin holders and the drink menu on a murder board. Of course there will be coffee and donuts along with all the other tidbits. When I skirt the bar I can pretend it's a meeting.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow with almost equal portions of joy and trepidation. I want this for Katie so much. I want her to be happy and Rick makes her happier than anyone else ever has. But I also want her to be safe, and despite whatever private army Rick has hired, the two of them always seem to attract trouble. Both Katie and Rick have managed to survive horrendous things. I pray the curse has finally been broken. Look down on them tomorrow.

Forever love,

JB

* * *

Diary of Alexis Castle

Tomorrow is the day. I've said that before, but this time I'd better be right. Dad has been through so much. We all have. I've double and triple checked everything and still I'm nervous. I know there are things that Dad and Kate are keeping from me. When I've asked Barbara, she says she doesn't really know any details either. I don't know if she'd tell me if she did. She will be at my side all day tomorrow, dressed in clothes she can move in and hiding a gun I don't know where. As informal as the ceremony will be this time around, I don't think she'll stand out too much. She does make a point of being as unobtrusive as possible.

Gram is a little upset that I've been holding her back. She is happiest when she lets her creativity run wild, but tomorrow belongs to Kate and Dad, not to her. I think deep inside she really knows that, but sometimes the diva personality just takes over despite her best efforts to contain it. That's why Dad gave the credit card to me. Despite Gram's choice in clothes, I doubt that she'll draw a single eye from Kate. I think the dry cleaner must be a true genius to have cleaned Kate's mother's dress. It is perfect and Kate looks stunning in it. She will also be wearing the earrings Gram gave her last time.

I wasn't sure what to wear myself. I am the best man, but I have every intention of dressing as a woman. I don't want my heels to be too high because I don't want to turn an ankle on the grass. I took a cue from Kate. We'll both be in ballerina flats, although hers will have a lot more sparkle than mine. Flats are actually quite a concession for her. They mean giving up a little of her air of power. They also make the difference in height between her and Dad more obvious. I think she's grown to love putting her head on his shoulder. I've always loved doing that myself. I'll be in a sheath over wide pants, feminine, but not screamingly so. I do have some great jewelry designed by one of my friends at school, to make the outfit more interesting. The groomsmen will be in sports jackets and ties. Ryan and Esposito will also be wearing their NYPD pins in keeping with the wedding theme. I've let the guests know that they can wear whatever makes them comfortable. I hope they do.

I know I won't sleep tonight. I want tomorrow to be a day to remember, and this time for all the right reasons.

* * *

Katie's Diary

Dad gave this to me. He found it in a box somewhere. I haven't written in it since I was a little girl. It held all my dreams and my hopes for the future. Somehow today it seems right to write in it again. I have never had more dreams, or brighter ones. I can see myself loving one man for the rest of my life. That idea used to scare me. Now it seems to be the one thing most worth doing. Castle and I have been through so much. I've lost count of how many times we've saved each others' lives, although I'm sure he hasn't. He remembers everything, the joys and the pain. He uses them to move forward. That is a wonderful gift. I used to let pain, or the fear of it, hold me back from what I truly wanted and needed. No longer. Whatever it takes, whatever it costs, I am going for the only important thing in this life - love. Tomorrow we will promise that love to each other in front of the people that matter, but what matters most is that we already have. Without the paperwork, without the ceremony, without the cake, the music, or the toasts, we belong to and with each other. I won't allow anything or anyone to change that. Maybe, technically, it wasn't one, but it will be done.

Katherine Houghton Beckett soon to be Castle


	22. Chapter 22

Summer Mix

Chapter 22

Wedding Day

Not that they were able to sleep, but Kate and Castle were startled by a midnight text alert on Kate's phone, as it lay on the nightstand. With the wedding less than twenty-four hours away, Kate was definitely not on call. Captain Gates had instructed her to not even think about the precinct. Kate glanced at the screen. "Castle, it's from Villante," she reported nervously as she brought up the full message. "He says that Rostoff has been found dead with two bullets in the back of the head. He suspects Rostoff's own people took him out as a penalty for failure."

"I'm certainly not going to cry for him," Castle said. "Who knows how much death and destruction, not to mention downright misery that man is responsible for? It's good news, right?"

"Yeah," Kate reassured him. "You won't have to, we won't have to, worry about him anymore. We can just think about tomorrow."

"I haven't been thinking about anything else," Castle told her. "Have I told you I love you?"

Kate smiled impishly. "Not in the last five minutes."

"I'll just have to fix that," Castle declared, pulling her close. His lips gently touched the skin of her forehead just below her hairline. He began a slow journey, kisses encircling her face until their mouths finally joined. He couldn't get enough of the taste of her. She was earthy, yet with smoldering heat, suddenly igniting in an incandescent burst of flame. Her hands, her mouth, laid claim to her more than willing partner. The city lights, the room, even the feel of the bed beneath them retreated. Their world was bounded by the energy that circled their bodies, propelling them together. Bodies slick and salty with sweat moved in a rhythm both ancient and forever new. The storm of sensation was overwhelming, almost unbearable, holding them in thrall until their senses were overcome in waves of pleasure and release. Castle struggled to catch his breath as he held Kate through the deluge. As slumber came to take them he whispered against her hair, "I love you."

Kate awoke still in the circle of Castle's arms. Slowly, to avoid waking him, she turned to gaze at her soon-to-be husband. He always looked beautiful when he slept. Even without being able to see the blue of his eyes, with morning stubble on his jaw he had the rakishness of a musketeer. She could see him, a skilled fencer, flouting evil with his sword. She hoped that it truly had been flouted this time. From the amount of sun streaming into the room she judged it was about seven A.M.. That meant there was less than twelve hours until the wedding. There was a lot to do, and yet not enough. She had a friend of Lanie's coming to her old apartment to do her hair and makeup, but that was hours away. Then they had the rehearsal an hour before the wedding, but that was even further away. The morning stretched ahead. Words her mother had spoken on lazy Sunday mornings intruded into her consciousness. "When in doubt, cook."

Kate carefully slipped from Castle's embrace. Pulling on the shirt Castle had worn the night before, she inhaled the scent of spicy soap still clinging to the fabric. It was almost enough to make her climb back into bed to rouse him, but she continued on her mission, padding barefoot to the kitchen. Neither Alexis nor Martha was downstairs. She suspected Alexis was awake, but triple checking her lists. Martha was most likely going through her early morning youthenizing routine, forever trying to hold the signs of the passing years at bay.

Kate inspected the contents of the refrigerator. As was normal in the Castle household, it was well stocked. She considered the makings of a wedding day breakfast. Everyone liked fresh fruit and there were several varieties of that, ready to be washed and prepared, but omelets and waffles were too mundane. Traditional pancakes were definitely Castle's territory, but he usually didn't make crepes. She hadn't made them often herself, but she had helped her mother when she was younger. Somehow the combination of crepes, fresh strawberries, whipped cream and maybe a few curls of dark chocolate seemed right for the day. She started the coffee brewing, hulled and sliced the strawberries, and made her batter.

Castle was awakened by the aroma of coffee enticing his nose. Slipping into a robe, he went in search of Kate. He found that Alexis and his mother, both already fully dressed, had also been drawn by the siren scent. They sat at the counter as Kate turned out crepes. Castle started to spray whipped cream into his mouth, but catching a warning look from his daughter, replaced the container on the table. "Gram and I will be getting an early start setting up the reception," Alexis announced. "We'll be leaving as soon as Barbara and Maya get here. Kate, we can wait for you to get dressed and drop you by your apartment if you want. Barbara can call your team and make sure that they're set up."

"I hate even having to think about all that!" Martha exclaimed. "But I suppose, considering what happened last time, better safe than sorry."

Castle took Martha's hand. "Mother, we got more news last night, and it was good. I don't think we'll have to live with this much longer."

"I hope you're right, Darling," Martha told him. "So Kate, will you be coming with Alexis and me?"

"You know, Martha, Lanie won't be coming over until later, so I think I'll stick around here for a few hours yet. I'll let Henry know when I'm ready to go."

Martha smiled knowingly. "Of course, you two want some time alone, really alone. Alexis and I will see you at the rehearsal."

Kate and Castle cleaned up the kitchen together after Alexis and Martha had departed. "So what do you want to do with a few hours of alone time?" Castle asked.

"Castle," Kate replied, "it's been a long time since you and I could just lie around together on the couch and not worry about anyone walking in or coming down the stairs. This is going to sound like a cliché, but how about if we just cuddle?"

Castle laughed. "You remember the first time you suggested that, at the shooting range?"

Kate smiled. "I didn't want to admit it, especially not to myself, but I was hoping you'd take me up on it then."

"I don't think I would have wanted to stop at cuddling then," Castle told her, "but after last night, and looking forward to tonight, my arms are yours."

Lulled by the warmth of Castle's body at her back, Kate drifted, visions of the future dancing before her eyes. She and Castle would figure out the clues, solve the cases together, but at the end of the day they would have more. They would be a family.

Castle gently nudged Kate awake. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Noon," Castle answered. "Aren't you meeting Lanie around one?"

"Yeah," Kate answered, getting up. "I'd better call Henry."

"You want a snack before you go?" Castle asked, slowly rising and stretching after his duty as a Beckett mattress.

Kate smiled at his thoughtfulness. "No, Lanie is bringing munchies. Hey, we're doing this."

Castle gently stroked her cheek. "Yeah we are."

George Burstyn waited patiently as Castle redid his tie for the third time. "Alexis usually helps me with this," Castle ground out in frustration.

"You're just going to rehearsal," George said in a soothing voice that sounded bizarre emanating from his fireplug frame. "If you need help, she can help you there. I'll bring the car around and meet you downstairs."

"All right," Castle agreed. "See you down there."

Flustered and nervous, Castle never noticed the absence of the doorman in the vestibule. As he came out the door, he felt the prick of a knife at his throat. "Who are you? What do you want?" Castle asked.

"Dimitri Rostoff," an unfamiliar voice answered. "Somehow, your machinations stopped my father, killed him. And now I'm going to stop you. You are coming with me." Castle looked desperately for George, but didn't see him.

"No!" a voice echoed in Castle's brain. "This is not happening. Not again." He struggled to remember all the tips Henry Jasper had insisted on giving him. A knife, how do you make someone drop a knife? Castle remembered and felt for the spot on his own hand, the nerve center between the knuckles of the ring finger and the pinky. When pressure is properly applied, a person can't maintain a closed fist. Then what? Shove and run! Castle closed his eyes and pictured the plan in his mind. He reached for Dimitri's hand.

As Castle ran, he could see George Burstyn running towards him. George downed Dimitri with a flying tackle and secured his wrists and ankles with heavy duty nylon ties. "I am so sorry, this asshole sabotaged the car and it took me a minute to figure out what happened. I should have been quicker. I need to call Jasper and the police," George said.

Castle looked at his watch. "I'm going to be late for rehearsal! You do what you have to do. I'm taking the Ferrari." Castle ran back to the loft for his keys and continued running through the underground garage. He thanked whatever gods were watching that he found a parking spot and crossed the grass to where Judge Markaway and the wedding party stood waiting at the swings."

"What happened?" Kate asked fingering the cut on his neck, a cape shielding Castle from seeing her gown.

"I doesn't matter," Castle told her. "I'm here and you're here. That's all that counts."

Martha in her best director persona, quickly took everyone through their paces. Lanie and Kate retreated to the cover of a nearby picnic pavilion as the guests began to arrive. Guests clustered tightly, clearing only an aisle between the swings and the pavilion, that Alexis had carefully marked and covered in several bolts of white fabric. Jasper's men noticed a tall, white haired figure standing on the outskirts of the park with binoculars. A man was assigned to watch him, but it was a public area and he did not appear to be a threat, so he was not approached. Music flowed from speakers attached to a laptop. Lanie removed Kate's cape and pinned on her veil. On her father's arm, Kate followed Lanie down the white path to where her groom waited.

When Judge Markaway asked "Who gives this woman to this man," Jim Beckett proudly responded that he did and returned to the crowd. Markaway asked the couple to recite their vows.

"Castle, my love," Kate began, "I promise to love you. I couldn't help loving you if I tried. I do, and will, honor you because I respect the wonderful man that you are. I can't promise to obey, because you know that's a promise I could never keep, but I promise to always keep your wishes in mind, because I love you. I promise that we will never be boring. I will search for the new and interesting and bring it to you. I will accept the new and interesting when you bring it to me. I will be there for you, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. Wherever you make your stand, I will stand with you. Always."

Castle never took his eyes from Kate's as he spoke his vows. "Katherine Houghton Beckett, I promise you more than I have ever promised anyone. You have my love, now and forever. Whatever happens, wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be on your side, even if the rest of the world is against you. I won't let anything or anyone diminish my love for you. We can never be boring, my love. I will always find some new aspect of you to explore and to cherish. Whatever calamities may befall us, whatever challenges arise, we will face them together. We will always be one inseparable whole. The world may roil around us, but we will never let it tear us from each other. This I say with all my heart. Always.

Lanie swiped at tears as she handed Kate her ring. Alexis did the same as she handed a band to her father. The gold circles slid on smoothly as if if finding the place they were destined to be.

As Judge Markaway pronounced them husband and wife, Kate and Rick Castle exchanged the first wedded kiss of many to come, as they stepped into their future.

A/N This is an obvious stopping point, but there is more than two months left of hiatus and these guys really need a honeymoon. So this is just the end of part 1 of Summer Mix and tomorrow I will pick up with part 2, chapter 23.


	23. Chapter 23

Summer Mix

Part 2

Chapter 23

Alexis and Martha led the parade of wedding guests walking to the reception. Esposito lagged behind, signaling to Castle who came over with Kate on his arm. "I just got a call from Henry Jasper," Esposito reported. "He said that the man who attacked Castle is in police custody, probably soon to be turned over to the AG's people, but that Castle has to give a statement. The detective in charge of the case said that under the circumstances, you could give it to me. What's going on bro?"

Kate reached up to touch the red line just visible above Castle's collar. "You can tell me what happened now, too."

"Look," Castle responded, "I am going to take my wife back to our loft so we can change into our dancing clothes. You can follow us there if you want to. I'm sure that one of Henry's people will as well. I can give you the details then, or we can find a quiet corner at the reception when Kate and I come back to officially greet our guests. Your choice. I am not ruining this day."

"Okay, Castle," Esposito agreed. "I'll see you back at the reception. I'll have to make sure Ryan doesn't say anything too nauseating until you get there anyway."

"Thanks bro," Castle told him, beginning to lead Kate to the Ferrari.

"Castle, there is no way I'm waiting until you tell Espo, to hear what happened. Tell me now!" Kate demanded.

Castle quickly related how he had been accosted by Dimitri Rostoff. He couldn't avoid a touch of pride at his escape. Kate threw her arms around him, closing her eyes as she rested her head against his chest. "I almost lost you again," she whispered, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

"Hey," Castle murmured, reaching under her veil to stroke her hair, "I'm fine. I've had worse cuts shaving. Can we get going now so I can get out of this monkey suit?"

Kate looked up, swiping at her tears with the back of her hand. "Yeah. Good thing Lanie's friend used waterproof mascara. At least I don't have to redo my makeup."

Castle's Ferrari made quick work of the trip back to the loft. After donning clothes more suitable for rocking the dance floor, Kate and Castle entered the re-dressed bookstore to a standing ovation from their guests. Alexis signaled the D.J. and the first notes of _In My Veins_ poured plaintively from high grade speakers. Castle led Kate to the dance floor.

When the D.J. switched to an upbeat dance mix, Esposito caught Castle's eye. They retreated to an office away from the festivities. When they returned, the music stopped and Alexis took the microphone. "The last time I made a speech was at my high school graduation," she began, "and I've never wanted to sweat that much again. So I'm just going to say this: Dad, Kate, I love you. Be happy. You deserve it." The crowd applauded and raised their glasses and the D. J. restarted the music.

After several lively rounds on the floor, Castle and Kate sat hand in hand at a table, watching the dancers. "You know, I think I know why Michael Bailey called her 'Gyrating Jenny,'" Castle quipped as he watched the Ryans.

"Castle, that is terrible," Kate told him, unable to quite escape the smile tugging at her lips. "Lanie and Espo look good together too."

"Look," Castle said, "Mother is dancing with your father."

"Well _she's_ dancing," Kate observed. "He's just sort of standing there and trying to sway a little bit. My mom tried to get him to liven up a little and after a while she gave up."

"Never underestimate my mother," Castle told her. "She may get him going yet. How long do you think we have to stay?"

"Castle, our plane doesn't leave until tomorrow morning. What did you have in mind?" Beckett asked, stroking his thigh under the table.

"Well, Mrs. Castle, Mother and Alexis are having such a good time here. If we go home, maybe this time we'll do more than cuddle."

"Mr. Castle," Kate replied, "I believe there is a back door."

The Ferrari sped back to the loft, followed by a smiling Jasper operative. "I should have done this when you had your wedding dress on," Castle said as he swept Kate up in his arms to carry her over the threshold.

"I can put it on again if you want a do over," Kate teased, still in his arms.

Castle kicked the door shut. "No thanks. You don't need any more clothes," he rasped deep in his throat, striding quickly toward the bedroom.

"Neither do you," Kate told him, unbuttoning his shirt as they went. The bed was still mussed from the morning, but neither of them cared. It was their marriage bed and therefore perfect. Castle sat on the edge, Kate across his lap. Even as their lips met, she continued to unbutton his shirt. Plunging her hands underneath, she slipped it from his shoulders. They pulled apart just long enough for Castle to pull Kate's top over her head. Heated skin met, driving their need. Barriers were pushed, pulled, and torn aside. It was familiar, yet new. The words, the signing of a certificate, should not have mattered, but they did. The expression to the world of their commitment to each other was energizing, enhancing each taste, each scent, each touch. The slightest brush of a fingertip became a source of infinite arousal.

An overwhelming pressure built within them, capable of release only upon reaching explosive power. They fed it as they feasted on each other, until their bodies could no longer contain it. Fore-shocks shook them, like an earthquake breaching a fault. The room tilted and spun, slowly stilling as the after-shocks faded, leaving them simultaneously empty and filled.

Kate lay, her head gently resting on Castle's shoulder. As night fell on the city, they were illuminated by starlight. Even for as talented a wordsmith as Castle, the words were few. Holding his wife, he could only whisper, "I love you."


	24. Chapter 24

Summer Mix

Chapter 24

The Castles were up with the sun to begin their journey. Except for a few last minute items, the bags had been long packed. A still contrite George Burstyn waited to take them to Teterboro Airport. Kate still hated to admit how much easier it was to travel with Rick. George still had to fight the traffic for the twelve mile trip to the airfield, but once there, they went directly to their private charter. There were no endless lines to get through TSA, no full body scans, and she got to keep her shoes on and her phone in her pocket.

The charter plane was small but well appointed. The seats were leather, fully reclining, and placed in conversation groups of four so Kate and Rick could face each other if they wished. Tables, capable of providing a substantial work surface folded out from the bulkhead. Their luggage was stowed in a compartment at the rear of the plane, reachable in case there was anything they needed. A cooler held drinks and snacks.

The flight came equipped with three different newspapers, which Kate, sitting across from Rick, attempted to peruse, but soon found her eyelids drooping. "Tired?" Rick asked.

Kate covered a yawn. "We didn't get much sleep last night."

Rick grinned. "No we didn't. We have about three hours until we land. You can take a nap. They have great pillows or you can just use me."

"That sounds nice, Castle. Wow, I don't even know if I can call you that now, we're both Castle," Kate told him as she slid into the seat beside him.

"I've kind of gotten used to it," Rick replied. "Anyway, you're keeping Beckett professionally, aren't you? I don't think it'll be confusing."

"Good point," Kate agreed, putting her head on his shoulder. "Good night, Castle."

Castle inhaled the faint scent of cherries drifting from Kate's hair as he closed his own eyes. He had no regrets about losing sleep on his wedding night. It had been the best night he could remember. Still it would be nice to catch up a little before they boarded their ship.

The plane was met by a limousine service that had been carefully vetted by Henry Jasper's staff. Kate and Castle were quickly but comfortably whisked to to the Island Dream, a relatively small cruise ship catering to upscale passengers. Accustomed to celebrity clients, they were happy to list cover names on their manifests. Real ones would be required at most destinations, but the Castles would be disembarking at a private island, owned by one of Castle's richer colleagues and under no government purview. With no official record of their presence, the Castles would be protected both from paparazzi and anyone else who might be looking for them. Nonetheless, they both carried passports, just in case.

The theme of the cruise was magic, a siren song to both Kate and Rick. The chief attraction was Tobias Strange, who had been so helpful in solving the murder of Zalman Drake. Both Castles were looking forward to his performance.

Kate looked around their cabin with both awe and admiration. The wood surfaces were polished to a high sheen. The bed was made up as sumptuously as at a five star hotel. The bath was small but scrupulously clean and well appointed. She had been informed that there was a hot tub on deck if she wanted to stretch out for a soak. Champagne chilled in a bucket and fresh strawberries and dark chocolates had been invitingly placed in silver bowls on the table. "Castle, this is beautiful," she said.

"It pales in comparison to my bride," he replied, "but it will get us to the island. We have a few hours until dinner seating, although they do have a buffet out on deck, if you're hungry. What would you like to do?"

Kate's eyes went to the pile of pillows waiting to be swept from the bed. Pressing herself against him, she ran a fingertip down his jaw while her other hand cupped his well shaped booty, and purred: "Guess."

* * *

The Castles had been invited to the Captain's table along with Tobias Strange, who would perform later in the evening, and two other couples. "I'd like to congratulate you two," Tobias said, his voice carrying more than a hint of his French origins. "The last time I saw you, I didn't know you were together, although the attraction was obvious."

"We weren't together," Castle told him, taking Kate's hand, "but we are now and forever."

Kate made a little choking noise. "You know you're beginning to sound like Ryan. Some people may be trying to eat here."

Castle kissed her hand. "I'll try to keep my adoration under control until after dinner." He looked across the table and extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Richard Castle and this is my lovely bride Kate."

A white haired gentleman with blue eyes paler than Rick's but just as lively, shook Rick's hand. "Burke Priestly, Mr. Castle and this is my wife Emma. She actually recognized you when you came in. She's quite a fan of your books."

A hand was also extended by a younger man, half of the other couple. "Brad Hochley and this is Genie."

"Nice to meet you," Castle said as Beckett nodded, looking around to see if a waiter was en route.

"You are hungry!" Castle exclaimed, following her gaze. He wiggled his eyebrows. "Worked up an appetite this afternoon?"

They stared at each other, sharing the joke. "Yeah," Kate answered, just as a white coated server arrived to slide a small plate containing several different amuse bouches onto her service plate.

Emma smiled and laughed behind a white gloved hand. Burke reminded her that she should take her pills before dinner. Emma thanked him and pulled out a small jeweled pill box.

Dinner proceeded through prime rib, deep red wine, perfect vegetables, and a dessert tray that Kate and Castle both found irresistible. In between courses Tobias Strange entertained his table mates with slight of hand, much to both Kate's and Castle's delight. Tobias excused himself before after dinner drinks were served, to prepare for his show.

Strange's illusions were spectacular. He both duplicated Zalman Drake's water escape as a tribute and escaped from a locked trunk that had been hewed in several pieces and then set aflame. He caused flowers to sprout around the edge of the stage and handed them to swooning women in the audience.

The Castles finished the evening in the ship's small casino where Castle enjoyed a few hands of poker while Kate joyfully hit a hundred dollar jackpot. Climbing into a bed freshly remade by a steward while they were at dinner, they agreed to lose more sleep.

In early morning, tangled in sheets and each others' arms Castle and Kate awoke to the sound of a loud horn. "What is that!" Kate exclaimed, trying to decide whether to rub her eyes or cover her ears.

"It means we're coming into port," Castle replied, "but we shouldn't be."

They hurriedly pulled on light shorts and shirts suited to the tropics and went on deck to investigate. They were greeted by an apologetic crew member. "I'm sorry we have to make an unscheduled stop," he explained, "there's been a death on board."


	25. Chapter 25

Summer Mix

Chapter 25

Island Dream

Captain's Personal Log

This voyage started out without incident. The passengers had a minimal number of complaints and we embarked smoothly. As a magic cruise we are offering the passengers a number of amusements, There are magic shows throughout the day as well as wandering magicians. Our big draw is Tobias Strange who performed on the big stage last night. As far as I know we only have one other celebrity on board for this trip, mystery writer Richard Castle. Castle is newly married to his longtime muse, Detective Kate Beckett, who has been the model for his character Nikki Heat. This is in fact the beginning of their honeymoon and the stewards have been extra aware to avoid accidental intrusions into their cabin. They were at my table last night and seemed quite absorbed in each other. Even after twenty years of sailing cruise ships, I still enjoy seeing happy couples. This world has enough misery.

Unfortunately misery has touched the ship as well. One of the passengers, Emma Priestly, was found dead by her husband Burke during the night. Apparently he got up to use the facilities, which he said usually rouses her as well, and noticed that she didn't stir. He soon became aware that she wasn't breathing and called the ship's doctor, Dr. Kopel, who attempted to revive her, but was unsuccessful. Since she was not under the care of Dr. Kopel at the time of her death, there will have to be an inquiry. We have made the closest port, an island ostensibly under British rule. We will have to stay here until cause of death can be determined.

Dr. Kopel reports that although Emma's husband told him that Emma had some problems with her blood pressure, they were under control by medication. She was not known to have heart disease. She was not diabetic. Kopel is fairly young and may have a vivid imagination, but he views the situation as a bit suspicious. He believes that the cause of death will have to be determined by autopsy. Unfortunately the island where we are docked has no medical examiner, although one can be flown in during the next 24 hours. There is no facility for storage of an unembalmed body either. We will be keeping the body on board. Proper hygiene prevents us from keeping it in food storage but we have a large capacity for ice production, so we have set up an area in the cargo hold and I have assigned several crew members watches to assure the body is kept cold until we can transfer it to the appropriate official.

Since Dr. Kopel has expressed his suspicions, I have enlisted the aid of Richard Castle and his wife. They have worked together on in excess of a hundred homicides. They also have contacts who may be helpful and I have made the ship's communications available to them for that purpose.

We will be behind schedule at least a day for this cruise, but I will endeavor to make up as much time as possible and allow any passengers who might be leaving the ship for a particular destination to do so as close to their planned arrival time as possible. That situation does involve that Castles and Mrs. Castle in particular, has been vocal in her wish to get underway as soon as possible. That may actually serve as motivation to solve the puzzle of Emma's death, if it is a puzzle and not just Dr. Kopel's imaginings.

Captain Karl Kruger

* * *

"Girlfriend, why are you calling me!" Lanie exclaimed. "You're on your honeymoon! You should be doing something nasty with Writer Man."

"Believe me, Lanie, this was the last thing I wanted to do, but we have a dead body on our hands and the Captain has asked us to help figure out what happened ASAP," Kate explained.

"So tell me about it so you can get on with it," Lanie told her.

"The ship's doctor may have watched too many procedurals. The victim is a woman, 70 years old. Her name is Emma. We met her at dinner last night, she was very sweet and also very with it. She wasn't showing any signs of confusion or pain. Her husband did remind her to take her pills, which she did. He told Castle and me that the pills were for high blood pressure. She died sometime during the night, we don't know when."

"Well if she had high blood pressure, she might have had a stroke in her sleep," Lanie said. "No mystery there. Did the doctor see any symptoms of a stroke?"

"He said her lips were blue," Kate answered, "so at first he thought stroke too. But Emma monitored her blood pressure. She used a monitor with a memory that Dr. Kopel checked. She hadn't had anything but normal readings and the last one was yesterday afternoon after she and her husband had gone for a jog around the deck. Dr. Kopel thinks that if she was going to have a spike, it should have been elevated after exercise."

"That is peculiar," Lanie mused. "Still it happens. Sometimes people have strokes that seem to come out of the blue when there was some undetected underlying disease. There could have been a clot that finally obstructed a vessel. It could have been a lot of things, none of them sinister. You might just have to wait for a decent autopsy."

"Lanie, that will keep us here for at least another day, probably more," Kate complained. "I want to get to our island. Is there anything else we can do?"

"Get a look at her pills," Lanie suggested. Let me know what they are and I'll see if there's anything suggesting a problem."

"Thanks Lanie," Kate said gratefully.

* * *

"Is this everything?" Kate asked Burke Priestly as he handed her two bottles containing capsules.

"Yes," Burke answered. "Usually these medications are prescribed in pill form, but Emma had trouble swallowing pills so her doctor had us go to a compounding pharmacy that put them in capsules for her."

"She had a little pill box last night. Can we see that?" Castle asked.

"She just loads that from the bottles, but all right," Priestly agreed, pulling the tiny case from the pocket of the jeweled sweater Emma had worn to dinner the previous night.

Kate and Castle returned to their cabin and Castle opened the box. "Kate, look at these capsules," he said. "They're not put together as tightly as the ones in the pill bottles." Castle opened a capsule from each bottle to compare with the capsules in the box. He pointed at the contents. "The powder in the capsules from the bottles is white. The powder from the ones in the box is blue. I think I know what this is." Kate raised her eyebrows. "Oh c'mon Kate, you know I don't need, at least not yet, but I have friends who do and this is..."

"Viagra," they finished together.


	26. Chapter 26

Summer Mix

Chapter 26

"It could happen," Lanie told Kate and Castle through the Island Dream's satellite phone, "if someone switched out her blood pressure pills for Viagra. Her blood pressure problem would have to be severe, or she would have needed another problem, maybe with her liver or her kidneys. Someone would have to know about her medical status."

"It had to be Burke Priestly," Castle exclaimed. "A seventy year old man would have no trouble getting a prescription for Viagra. He'd understand his wife's condition and have the opportunity to switch out her pills."

"What would his motive be?" Kate asked.

"Maybe he wants to start a chemically enhanced life with a younger woman." Castle replied.

"You should find out if he can even take Viagra," Lanie interrupted. "If he has problems with his vision, his hearing, his heart, a lot of things, he wouldn't be able to."

"You're ruining my story!" Castle protested.

"Wait a minute Lanie," Kate interjected, "did you say hearing problems?"

"Yeah," Lanie agreed.

"Castle, Burke Priestly has hearing aids in both ears."

"All right," Castle muttered grudgingly, "so maybe he got the pills on the internet or got them from a friend. He still had knowledge of his wife's condition and access. He's still our best suspect."

"I agree," Kate told him. "But we need more."

"You two let me know if you need anything else from me," Lanie put in. "I have a body waiting on my table."

"Thanks Lanie," Kate said, breaking the connection.

"So what do we need?" Castle asked Kate. "Can we search The Priestly's cabin?"

"Castle, if we're under British jurisdiction, I think we'd still need a warrant," Kate answered. "We need to look into their background."

"I could call Henry Jasper," Castle suggested. "He is really good at that and it does sort of come under the category of protecting us - from missing our honeymoon."

Kate laughed. "I think that may be stretching a point, but go ahead and call."

Jasper, with some amusement in his voice, agreed to research the Priestlys and told Castle that he'd get back to him when he had something.

* * *

"So," Castle asked Kate as they were returning to their cabin, "How do you want to spend the time while we're waiting for Henry's report? I hear there's a shuffleboard tournament."

"Yeah," Kate agreed, "I heard that too. Also there's supposed to be a class on doing card tricks."

"I don't know if I could get into that right now," Castle said, slipping her shirt from her shoulder.

"What do you want to get into right now, Castle?" Kate asked, running her hand over his collar.

"Well we were rousted out of bed awfully early this morning. We didn't even get a shower. You know we really should," Castle suggested. "The ship is very close quarters. It's only polite."

"The shower is pretty close quarters too," Kate noted, "but I think we can manage."

Castle swept her up in his arms and deposited her in the small bath. "I think we can."

The stall was a tight fit, but the steam swirling around them rivaled their own heat. What they both knew but had never spoken, was that building theory, solving cases together, had constituted four years of foreplay and was still arousing. The case, while stimulating thought, heightened other reactions as well. Their hands moved hungrily over skin made slick by water and soap, as scents spicy and sweet, tingled their senses. Castle braced himself against the back wall of the enclosure, supporting Kate as they came together. The glass rattled, but they were oblivious to the sound, so lost were they in each other. As water pelted their skins, waves of passion beat within, forcing their way to the surface until only the enclosure walls held the couple up. They clung as the forces ebbed, breathing deeply of the aromatic steam.

The ship provided both fluffy towels and thick robes. They dried and wrapped each other, snuggling on the bed while regaining their equilibrium. The beeping of the ship's intercom sounded fuzzy and distant in the afterglow, but Castle roused himself enough to answer it. He was informed that there was a data printout from the Jasper Group waiting for him in the communications room. The officer in charge asked if he wanted someone to bring it to him.

Thinking that the fewer people who were exposed to the information the better, Castle informed the officer that he and Kate would be up in a little while to retrieve it.

"That was fast," Kate said.

"Too fast," Castle groused, going to the small wardrobe to select a clean shirt.

"Blue," Kate suggested smiling, "I like how it brings out your eyes."

"Remind me to order a dozen," Castle quipped.

Beckett picked a gauzy sundress for ease and comfort and they dressed quickly. Henry Jasper had gathered a considerable amount of information in a short time. Back in their cabin, Kate and Castle divided it to peruse it more quickly with Castle using his speed reading skills to study the lion's share of the information. "There is certainly no financial reason for Burke to commit murder," Castle reported with consternation. Most of the Priestly's resources are in a trust for their children. Nothing changes on Emma's death. There is also no sign that he was carrying on an affair, no credit card charges for hotels, lingerie, or extravagant jewelry."

"I might have something," Kate said thoughtfully. "Emma Priestly was involved in a lawsuit. Her car collided with a minivan driven by a woman named Angela Pease. Angela was pregnant and lost the baby. She also became a quadriplegic. But the police investigation determined that Angela was at fault. Apparently she was texting and ran a red light, so she lost the suit. Angela's family was very upset. Her husband, Craig, threatened revenge against Emma."

"We need to check with the purser and see if there's a Craig Pease on board!" Castle exclaimed excitedly. "Sounds like our guy!"

"That's what you said about Burke Priestly, Castle," Kate teased. "Even if Craig Pease is aboard, how did he know about Emma's medical history and how did he switch out her pills?"

"Let's find out if he's aboard first," Castle suggested. "If he is, we can figure out the rest."

"In a minute," Kate told him, straddling his lap. "Did I tell you how sexy your eyes are with that shirt?"

Castle wrapped his arms around her, his lips whispering against hers. "Tell me again."


	27. Chapter 27

Summer Mix

Chapter 27

Kate and Castle scanned the passenger list. No Craig Pease was listed, nor did he appear on the list of crew and performers. "He could be using a fake name," Castle suggested. "Maybe Henry can get us a picture."

"That could be," Kate mused, "but if the whole family was upset at Emma, there could be other family members on board. You could ask Henry to check out the family, but it might be faster to ask Burke Priestly. He probably would have seen them during the course of the case."

"That's a good idea," Castle agreed.

The Castles received no answer when they knocked on Burke Priestly's door. "Maybe he's up on deck," Castle suggested. "You want to go look?"

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "We haven't spent that much time up there anyway. There's supposed to be a lot of magic going on."

Castle looked hurt."I thought we were making our own magic."

Kate stroked his cheek. "We definitely were, Castle, and I'm looking forward to making more, but I want to see what the ship has too, and we do need to find Priestly."

Kate and Castle visited Communications first so that Castle could contact Henry Jasper to request a picture of Craig Pease and other information on the Pease family. They had only been on deck a few minutes when a man in shorts and a top hat walked up to Castle. "Excuse me, I think you lost this," he said, offering Castle a watch.

Castle glanced at his empty wrist. "How did you do that?" he asked.

The man winked at Kate. "Magic."

Further along the deck Castle was offered back his wallet and Kate was handed her green jade ring. "This ship is full of pickpockets masquerading as magicians!" Castle exclaimed.

Kate laughed. "Or magicians masquerading as pickpockets."

"You know," Castle speculated, "any one of the magicians would have the skill to get a pill box out of Emma's pocket, switch the pills, and return the box without her knowing."

"Yeah," Kate agreed, "when we find Priestly, we'll have to see if he remembers any of the magicians being around Emma."

Their progress was slowed when Kate caught sight of a milk shake bar. She found to her delight that she could get one made not only with strawberry ice cream but with a swirl of fresh strawberries as well. She and Castle continued their search as she attempted to suck the thick liquid through the extra wide straw. "What are you grinning about?" she asked, catching sight of Castle's face.

"I just love watching you enjoy that," Castle answered. "Your mouth gets all rosy and you have just a little bit of ice cream right," he said said touching her nose with a fingertip, "there."

"I'm sure I look beautiful with ice cream on my nose," Kate commented drily.

"With or without ice cream on your nose," Castle answered, lightly touching his lips to her hair.

The shake lasted the length of their search of the deck, the bar, the buffet, and the casino, but Priestly was nowhere in evidence. Frustrated, they sought the help of the purser who told them that unable to deal with staying in the cabin where his wife died, Priestly had requested a transfer. The ship being fully booked, two of the ship's officers had doubled up and he had been given space in officers' quarters. The purser gave them instructions for finding the small cabin. They stopped at Communications on the way, to find that Jasper had indeed sent a picture of Craig Pease.

Priestly's quarters were cramped, allowing no real space for discussion. He agreed to go on deck with the Castles and sit at a shaded table by the pool. He stared at the picture of Craig Pease. "I remember him," said sadly. "He screamed at Emma in the courtroom. I haven't seen him on the ship, but there are a lot of places I haven't been. I doubt that he could have gotten near Emma unnoticed though, she had nightmares about him."

"How about other members of the Pease family?" Castle asked. "have you seen any on the ship?"

"No," Burke replied, "but I only would have known their faces if they were in court and Craig was usually the only one there. I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"Hey," Kate said softly, "you're doing fine. We'll figure it out."

"You know," Castle said, after he and Kate had escorted Craig Priestly back to his cabin, "if the pills actually were switched by one of the magicians, we should get everything we can on them. We should probably go see the cruise director."

"You're right, Castle," Kate agreed, "who is that?"

"I think we saw him when we came aboard," Castle answered, "it was the guy who checked us in, I think his name was Percy Marbridge."

Kate smiled. "Yeah, I remember when I saw him I thought he should sound like someone out of Monty Python but when he opened his mouth he sounded like Vin Diesel."

Castle laughed. "I am Groot! I think he has an office near the bridge. We could go see him and then hit Communications again to see if there's anything else from Henry."

"Let's go!" Kate replied.

Percy Marbridge was bent over stacks of clipboards, when the Castles entered his office. "Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Castle," he greeted them, slightly distracted. "The captain has instructed the crew to cooperate with you in any way we can, so what can I do for you?"

"We need all the information you have on all the magicians on this cruise." Kate informed him.

"Why?" Percy asked.

"We think it's possible that one of them may have information pertinent to this investigation," Kate explained, deliberately giving away as little as possible.

"Well I have personnel files on all of them," Percy told her. "Can I help you narrow it down?"

"No thanks," Kate answered. "We really need to see them all."

Percy opened a file drawer and began to make a large stack of folders. Kate loaded them into Castle's arms. "I'm going to need those back," Percy said.

"You'll get them after we finish going through them," Kate informed him.

"Hey," Castle asked, "Do you know a good place on the ship where we can spread all these out to look at them?"

Percy thought for a moment. "You might try the daycare room. There's a big table in there that the kids use for crafts, but we don't have any children on this cruise. The room should be empty."

"Thanks," Castle said, shifting the files slightly in his very full arms.

After their stop in Communications, where there was another printout waiting from the ever dependable Henry Jasper, Kate and Castle followed the bright clown signs to the daycare room. As Percy had surmised, it was empty and a table was able to accommodate the files and their printout. The chairs, however, were less than full size, causing Castle to sit very tentatively. "This reminds me of the parent teacher conferences I used to go to for Alexis," Castle said, trying to determine if the diminutive seat would hold his weight.

"Don't worry, Castle," Kate teased. "They're made for kids. They should be just perfect for you."

Castle scanned the information Jasper had provided on the Pease family. One name jumped out at him. "Kate," he said excitedly, "look at Angela Pease's maiden name."

"Hochley," Kate read. "Castle, the Hochley's were the people sitting next to the Priestlys at dinner!"

Castle hastily started flipping through Percy's files. "Kate look! Hochley is one of the magicians too. I think we found our murderer."


	28. Chapter 28

Summer Mix

Chapter 28

"Castle, this is all conjecture," Kate pointed out. "We have absolutely no proof against Hochley and we still don't know how he would have known about Emma's medical history."

"Look at his file," Castle said pointing to a line in Percy Marbridge's carefully assembled information on Brad Hochley. "He specializes in escapes. That means he can probably pick locks. He could have broken into the Priestly's cabin, looked at Emma's pill bottles and anything else she had around. Some people, especially older people, travel with a card or something with medical information, just in case something happens. Hochley might have even stolen it out of her purse. We could ask Burke if Emma had anything like that."

"That is a good idea, Castle," Kate agreed. "But we probably don't have to go banging on his door again so soon. It's only about an hour until dinner. We should get dressed for that and if we see him, we can take him aside. If not, we can find him."

"You know," Castle murmured, nibbling on Kate's neck as they returned to their cabin, "there is an hour until dinner and I'm hungry now."

"Did you have a specific snack in mind?" Kate asked.

"Something sweet," Castle answered, pulling her against him and bringing his lips to hers. "Very sweet," he whispered, deepening the kiss.

Kate's sundress was slipped from her shoulders, sliding to the floor. She pulled at Castle's shirt, wanting to free him as well as he scooped her into his arms. Castle was ravenous, savoring the uniqueness that was Kate. Her hunger for him grew as quickly, almost desperately. The sound of ripping cloth rent the air as she sought more of him. The headiness of the salt the sea breeze had deposited on their skins mingled with sweetness and musk, transporting them to their private island, even as the ship was becalmed. Caught in the dream, they moved together through a journey ending in a final explosion of heat.

Castle lightly stroked Kate's hair, now damp from exertion, as she lay in his arms. He could feel the sweat beading his own face. "We're going to have to take the quickest showers on record to make dinner seating on time."

"I think we'll manage as long as we do it separately," Kate said. As she started to sit up she spied the clothing on the floor. Her brow wrinkled in consternation. "I ripped your blue shirt!"

"I'm not complaining." Castle said, running his fingers down her arm as she stood.

"I am." Kate told him. "I liked that one."

Castle laughed. "Clearly. We can get another one, at least another blue one, at the exquisitely overpriced ship's boutique. And you can feel free to rip that one off my body too."

Kate took the first hurried shower, leaving Castle to find his dinner clothes. He followed her quickly. They made it to the dining room just as the last of the passengers were being seated. "Priestly's at a full table," Castle said. "We'll have to talk to him later."

"We will," Kate agreed.

The Castles sat at a table with three other couples. They made the mandatory small talk, but their minds dwelt on their upcoming conversation with Burke Priestly. Kate kept Priestly firmly in her sights throughout the meal. He stayed through dessert, but got up promptly to leave afterward. Castle and Kate hurried to catch him. They didn't have to go far. They found him leaning against a rail not far from the dining room, gazing at the sea. They came to stand silently on either side of him.

"I miss her," Priestly whispered almost inaudibly.

"I promise you," Kate said, covering his almost translucent hand with her own, "we will find who took her from you."

"If you're up to it, we need a little more information," Castle told him. "Did Emma have any medical records or information with her?"

"She did," Burke replied. "She carried it for both of us on special cards. She gave them to Dr. Kopel when we came aboard."

"So they weren't in your cabin or in her purse during the cruise?" Kate asked.

"They might have been in her purse for a few minutes," Burke answered, "but she gave them to the doctor at check-in."

"Thank you," Castle said. "Can we walk you down to your cabin?"

Burke shook his head. "Thank you, but I think I'd rather stay here for a while."

Castle nodded and extended a hand to Kate who led him back toward the dining room. "I think Kopel's still in there," she said. "We need to talk to him."

Castle nodded his assent.

Dr. Kopel was busily charming female passengers over after dinner drinks but smiled and excused himself at the request Kate spoke softly into his ear.

"What do you need?" Kopel asked as he accompanied the Castles to a quiet spot on deck.

"Burke Priestly told us that Emma gave you the Priestly's medical information," Castle answered. "Do you still have it?"

"It should be in sickbay," Kopel answered. "Why do you ask? You have the information you need."

"Dr.," Kate explained, "we need to see if anyone else got their hands on those records. Can we go to sickbay and make sure they haven't been disturbed?"

"We can do that," Kopel agreed. "Come with me."

Kopel unlocked the door to sickbay. "Doctor, is anyone on duty when you're not here?" Castle asked.

"It's a small ship, Mr. Castle," Kopel explained. "I'm a one man show. I lock it when I'm not here and passengers can page me if they need me."

Kopel checked the drawer where the records had been stored. "The Priestly's records are here," he reported, "but they have been disturbed."

"How can you tell?" Kate asked.

"I keep things in alphabetical order," the doctor replied. "Burke would have been in front and Emma behind him. These are reversed."

"Maybe we can get some prints off them," Castle suggested.

"How?" Kate asked. "We don't have any powder with us."

"Kate," Castle urged, "use your imagination. Superglue! Maintenance should have some. People are always breaking something. We heat it up in something covered like one of those big chafing dishes they use for the buffets and fume the cards. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Castle, you really have watched every episode of MacGyver, but all right, if we can get the glue and the dish, we can try to fume Emma's records."

Kopel looked on with an amused smile as Castle quickly kissed his bride.


	29. Chapter 29

Summer Mix

Chapter 29

The day came with the unfortunate announcement that there would be no arrival of a medical examiner until at least that evening. Castle was only cheered by the acquisition of the materials he needed to bring out any fingerprints on Emma's medical record card. The ship's handyman had donated a large tube of superglue. The real prize was a chafing dish with a glass dome, enabling Castle to observe the print formation, minimizing the chance that they might overdevelop and flow into each other.

After a hurried breakfast, but equipped with a large coffee, Castle set to work, setting up his apparatus on the small desk in the Castles' cabin. He lined the dish with foil, obtained from the kitchen staff, to avoid having the glue stick to the bottom. He set the temperature control at its lowest point, aiming for the boiling point of the glue, between 120 and 150 Fahrenheit. Using some wire mesh the handyman had also provided, he constructed a shelf to hold the card, covered the whole thing, turned it on and sat down to wait.

Kate, who had decided to take a quick morning swim in the pool while Castle was setting up, returned to find him chin in hand, staring at the vapors rising around the card. "Anything, Castle?"

"No," he replied grouchily. "I know when they do this in the lab, it can take a while, but I'm getting bored."

"We can take turns watching it," Kate suggested. "You could write or take a swim or a walk for a little while, say half an hour, and we could switch off again."

Castle was unsure. "I don't want to miss anything."

"Well, just get on your laptop. If anything starts to happen, I'll call you."

Castle looked lovingly at his bride and kissed her, before retrieving the computer he had moved to the bed to prevent accidental gluing of his keys.

Castle was back on shift when prints began to appear and he called Kate away from a reread of additional information on Hochley that Jasper had sent that morning. There were what looked to be three sets. "We've probably got Emma, Doctor Kopel and Hochley," Castle speculated excitedly.

"We'll have to do a comparison," Kate mused. "We can probably get an ink pad to use to print the doctor and Emma from the purser. I noticed he had a couple of them. There was a microscope in the daycare room, probably for the science adventures they had posted on the wall."

"Now who's Macgyver?" Castle asked. "Wait? You want to print Emma? Ewww!"

"Buck up, Castle. It's only a dead body. You've seen over a hundred of them."

"But touching dead fingers?" Castle gave a little shudder.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll do it. There's a technique to it anyway. I learned it in the academy."

"Okay," Castle conceded. "But you're washing your hands with that stuff Dr. Kopel has in sick bay."

The printing went smoothly despite Castle's pained expression when Kate carefully rolled Emma's fingers over the ink pad and again over the white index cards they were using to hold the prints. The microscope connected to a screen in the daycare room proved more troublesome, being, like the chairs, designed for use by the young. It was also designed for looking at single objects, rather than doing side by side comparisons. Castle manipulated the cards under the objectives until his diminutive seat finally gave out, dumping him on the floor.

Kate bit her lip to keep from laughing until she saw that he was seriously rubbing his bruised behind, and replaced his hands with her own.

"Mmmm, much as I'm enjoying that," Castle told her, "we'll never finish this if you keep doing it. Rain check?"

"Absolutely," Kate agreed. "You know I think we've got enough points to exclude Emma and the doctor. There are some pretty distinctive whorls there. But we still need something to match to the third print."

"We could try to get seated with Hochley if he shows up at lunch or dinner, Castle suggested. "Maybe we can get some silverware or a glass he touched, or ask the captain to get the crew to grab something."

"We could," Kate mused, "but then we'd still have to fume whatever we got and that would take another couple of hours. Then we'd have to exclude the staff. How about if we send a picture of the prints to Henry Jasper and see if he can match them somewhere. Or better still, also send it it Lanie and have her work on it too?"

"Not as much fun as stealing Hochley's silverware," Castle replied, "but definitely faster and easier. If we need to, we can still go with plan B."

Communications had a scanner that they used to send the prints. Hochley was nowhere to be seen at lunch, so if plan B was to be put into effect it would have to wait. Kate noticed that Castle was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Back still hurt?" she asked. "After lunch we could try that hot tub the steward told us about. I saw it this morning when I took my swim. We need to wait to hear from Henry or Lanie anyway."

"That sounds nice," Castle answered.

Returning to their cabin, they changed into swim gear covered by ship's robes. After the short walk back on deck, Castle eased himself into the warm swirling waters with Kate beside him. They were alone, as many of the passengers had lingered in the dining room for coffee and to be entertained by magicians roaming from table to table demonstrating slight of hand.

Castle closed his eyes, enjoying the touch of Kate's fingers as she massaged the sore spots. He soon became aware that the dominant messages his body was sending him were no longer coming from his back. "Kate," a rasp emerged from deep in his throat.

Kate stopped massaging for a moment. "Too hard?" she asked.

"You have no idea," Castle told her. "I - we, really need to go back to the room."

Castle just managed to close the door and flick the privacy lock. As robes fell, the moisture from their skins beaded on the high polish of the woodwork. Water pooled on the floor as suits followed. Castle didn't care. He saw, heard, smelled, and tasted only Kate. His mouth was everywhere, tingling her flesh. He wanted her as ready, as needy, as he was. He looked and listened for the now so familiar signs, the sigh that rose from deep in her chest, the tilt of her hips. She was with him.

Kate took the lead, guiding their joining. Castle gasped. It was almost too much, but there was more. They reached for it together, grasping the ending that came almost too soon.

"Castle, we're sitting in a puddle." Kate observed from his lap as he rested on the floor against the door.

"You want to move?" Castle asked.

"Not really," Kate said.

"Me either," Castle agreed.

Despite their inertia, the buzzing of the intercom made it necessary to stir. Kate got up grudgingly to answer it. Communications reported that there were messages both from Lanie and from Henry Jasper.

After toweling off and slipping into tropical weight shorts and tops, they used another towel to dry the floor before heading up on deck. Castle read the message from Henry while Kate read the one from Lanie. The messages were almost identical. The prints were not a match for Brad Hochley.


	30. Chapter 30

Summer Mix

Chapter 30

"Who is Genie Pritchard!" Kate and Castle exclaimed in simultaneous consternation.

"Wait a minute," Castle said. "At the captain's table, Hochley introduced his wife as Genie, but the file Percy Marbridge had on him didn't list a wife."

"The information Henry sent listed a half sister named Genie," Kate added. "That couldn't be a coincidence. It also said that she had worked as his assistant before she trained as a pharmacy tech. That's why they're both in the system. They were picked up as unlicensed street performers years ago."

"So she might be good with locks too." Castle continued. "She could have broken into sickbay, and she'd know about drugs. The two of them are working together to get revenge for Angela Pease."

"Now we just have to prove it," Kate said.

Castle grinned. "So we set a trap, and I know just what to do."

* * *

Percy Marbridge called a meeting for all the magicians except Tobias Strange. "I've asked you to meet with me because we need your help," he began. "As you know, we are in port because of the passing of one of our passengers. The arrival of a medical examiner is expected early this evening and we will be transferring the body into the custody of the island's officials tonight for autopsy. There has been some suspicion on the part of the ship's doctor that the death may not have been entirely natural. The body needs to remain cool and in good shape to confirm or disprove those suspicions. We will be offloading the body around nineteen hundred. We need that transfer to go smoothly and with as little alarm to the passengers as possible. My task for you is to entertain and distract the passengers. Keep them away from the cargo hold for the rest of the day and the gangway tonight."

* * *

Emma Priestly looked peaceful lying on her bed of ice in the cargo hold as Brad Hochley and Genie Pritchard cautiously approached the body. They continued further into the hold. "There's your chest," Genie whispered. "We can hide her in there so they can't do the autopsy. Tonight, when no one is on deck we can dump her in the ocean. They can search the whole ship if they want to but they'll never find her. They'll have to let the ship go and if they ever do find the body, the water will have destroyed the evidence of what we did."

The brother and sister grabbed a large trunk painted with mystical symbols and brought it to where Emma's body lay, but as they attempted to pick up the body, it disappeared. They were surrounded as Castle, Kate, Captain Kruger, two security officers, and Tobias Strange stepped out from behind a shield of cargo containers. "Sorry," Castle said, "Emma couldn't make it."

* * *

Kate, Castle, and Captain Kruger sat across a table from Constance Marstead, M.E. and Constable Mosely in the simple white building that housed the local constabulary. Castle had placed his laptop at the head of the table for easy viewing of video recorded in the cargo hold. The confession of Genie Pritchard could be clearly heard. Marstead's eyes widened at the disappearance of the body. "How did you do that?" she asked.

"That was courtesy of Tobias Strange," Castle explained. "No magician is about to give away all his secrets but I gathered that it had something to do with holographic projection. Emma had already been moved to sick bay under the watchful eye of Dr. Kopel."

"We'll hold Pritchard and Hochley in custody until they can be transported for trial," Mosely told them. "We'll be generating the paperwork to release the ship shortly."

Kate and Castle clasped hands in triumph beneath the table.

* * *

Captain Kruger hosted a celebratory dinner as the Island Dream steamed its way to the island that would serve as the Castle's honeymoon retreat. The Castles were honored guests at the captain's table along with Tobias Strange, Dr. Kopel, Percy Marbridge, and the two security officers, Curtis and McClain, who had participated in the capture of the murderous siblings. Wine, which Castle judged excellent, flowed freely, to the accompaniment of paté, caviar, and fresh local fish obtained while in port. The pastry chef had outdone himself, with lava cakes exploding with deep dark chocolate and cloud-light Pavlovas. Rich espresso was served to cut the sweetness and reawaken overstuffed diners.

Well filled, Kate and Castle slowly made their way back to their cabin, their arms around each others' waists and Kate's head on Castle's shoulder. "Castle, it's a good thing you brought that expensive audio- video recording system of yours," Kate mused. "It really captured Genie Pritchard's confession perfectly."

"Well, I wouldn't want to miss any memories of our honeymoon," Castle replied.

Kate slipped her hand under the edge of his shirt. "We've already started making memories."

"That we have," Castle agreed. "In the mood to make some more?"

Kate nestled more deeply into his shoulder. "Always."

Returning to their quarters, languorous from food and wine, they undressed each other slowly. Kate explored the light sprinkling of hair on Castle's chest as he caressed her shoulder. Softly, gently, they blazed featherlight trails of kisses across skin. The post-celebration haze lifted, replaced by a lust for exploration. There was much to find. Secret spots elicited sighs of longing. Their nascent fire was fed by willing hands, growing from en-robing warmth, to a dance of hungry tongues of flame, to a white hot blaze of need. The force field of their passion pulled them inexorably to each other, holding them in its grasp until the final flashover blew them apart.

They awoke as mists rose from an early morning sea. Castle glanced at his watch on the tiny bed stand. A few hours remained before the horn would blow again, this time for their personal port of call. "I think we definitely made a memory," Kate whispered throatily as she brushed the hair back from his forehead.

"Indelibly engraved," Castle agreed. "If that's what we've done on the journey, I wonder what we'll do when we reach our destination."

"I don't know, Castle," Kate replied, stroking the morning stubble on his jaw, "but I can't wait to find out."


	31. Chapter 31

Summer Mix

Chapter 31

The Island

The Castles could see their island in the distance under a blue sky over a bluer sea. The water at the dock was not deep enough to accommodate the Island Dream, so crew member Beau du Lac had been assigned to take them and their luggage to shore in a dinghy. Castle found it hard to contain his excitement, but it was Kate who did a seconds long happy dance as she boarded the small craft. The couple held hands as the boat sped across the water.

Due to a call ahead from the ship, the dinghy was met at the dock by a stiffly uniformed Joe Murphy, owner of the sole taxi on the island. Beau and Joe quickly transferred the luggage to the large trunk of the vehicle. More limousine than cab, the taxi was white and waxed to a high sheen. Inside it featured rich leather seats, a bar, an assortment of snacks and a high quality sound system. "Your house is on the other side of the island, so you might as well get comfortable. The trip will take a while," Joe told them.

The road was paved with crushed stone, making the pneumatic suspension on the limousine a luxury much appreciated by the couple. Castle found that much to his delight and Kate's, the bar featured Kate's favorite red wine. With Kate nestled against Castle's arm, they settled back to enjoy the sights. Plant and animal life were both rich on either side of the road, with colorful birds calling from tangles of intense green. The scent of tropical flowers was just detectable through the efficient air conditioning system. The ride passed quickly, the Castles arriving at their destination relaxed and happy. Joe quickly unloaded their luggage and left them alone.

The house was inviting, spotlessly clean and decorated island fashion with white wicker upholstered in brightly colored fabrics. Castle gave silent thanks upon viewing the bed, an extended king with smooth, Egyptian cotton sheets and featherlight blankets. Kate, heady from the wine, leaned against her husband as she followed his gaze. Castle held her to his side. "Do you want to christen it?" he asked.

No words were necessary as Kate, pressing herself against him and cupping the back of his head, brought his lips to hers. Castle led Kate to the bed, which proved to be as inviting as it appeared. A subtle scent of vanilla rose from the bedding, both comforting and arousing. Castle inhaled the titillating mix as vanilla mingled with the cherry essence of Kate. Plunging fingers deep into the silken strands of her hair, his mouth tasted the earthiness of the wine that clung to her lips. Despite the well conditioned air, it was too warm. Traveling clothes found the plank floor. Slick bodies moved against each other, each touch, each taste, demanding more. Sheets and blankets joined the discarded clothing, as they sought each other more deeply. The wicker of the backboard hummed in time with their motion as together they reached for what seemed just beyond their grasp. The pressure rose inwardly as power flowed through their lips. Able to contain no more, their release left them breathless and entwined, as the air slowly cooled their skins. Castle pulled the one light covering that remained on the bed over them as they rested.

Kate shifted restlessly. "What's the matter?" Castle asked.

"I'm hungry," Kate answered. Castle drew her toward him for a kiss. "Mmm, That's nice, Castle," she told him with a smile, but I really meant food."

"I'm told that the larders here are kept well stocked," Castle told her. "Shall we take a look?"

"Like this?" Kate asked, indicating their unclothed bodies.

"There's no one to see us," Castle answered, "but I suppose we can cover up if it makes you feel more comfortable. I think I noticed a couple of robes hanging on hooks on the door as we came in." Unlike the thick terry robes on the ship, the ones provided for the house were of brightly colored silk, smooth against their skins. "You look delicious," Castle said caressing her cheek as Kate secured her robe with a sash.

"Food, Castle," she reminded him.

The kitchen was small, but well equipped with gleaming white appliances. The refrigerator contained milk, eggs, both white wine and champagne, a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, thinly sliced rare roast beef, and ham. A wine rack held red wine. A small wooden crate on the counter contained what appeared to be freshly baked bread. Cupboards held staples for cooking and baking as well as the requisite pots, pans, and utensils. There was also a basket of chips, pretzels and other snack foods, a jar of tropical salsa, and a selection of chocolates. A small sun room off the kitchen featured a table and chairs as well as a glass fronted cabinet containing table settings, glassware including crystal flutes, mats, and brightly polished flatware.

"What's your pleasure?" Castle asked.

"Maybe some quick finger food?" Kate suggested. "We could do fruit and cheese with some chips, then explore a little and have something more later."

"Sounds like a plan," Castle agreed. They worked together cubing cheese, selecting fruit, and preparing it. Kate dumped part of a bag of chips into a hand painted bowl. Sitting together at the table, they gazed through the wide windows at what only could be described as the surrounding jungle. They caught glimpses of brightly colored wings as birds moved from tree to tree. Vines sporting delicate flowers encircled trunks and leaves shiny with moisture dripped water slowly on the ground below. They fed each other grapes and tidbits of savory cheese as they were surrounded by the profusion of vibrant life.

"Castle, I think this is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen," Kate proclaimed in wonder.

"And this," Castle told her, framing her face in his hands, "is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

As they cleaned up from their meal, Kate saw a small basket on the counter, that she hadn't noticed before. It contained only a card emblazoned with a gold seal. "What's that?" Castle asked as Kate began to read.

Kate started again, reading out loud. "The trail's for you, oh honored guests, perchance pursuing worthwhile quests. Unlocking clues and finding booty, is for your joy and not your duty. But if you choose to join the fun, then if successful you have won the bragging rights and more you see, bucks for your dearest charity."

"Wow!" Castle exclaimed. "It's a scavenger hunt!"


	32. Chapter 32

Summer Mix

Chapter 32

Kiki and Tutu

"Have you seen the new ones?" Kiki asked.

"Whoa, yeah," Tutu replied. "I was flying past the window of their nest. Wow do they take mating to a whole new level, and it isn't even spring!"

"You're right," Kiki agreed. "They certainly do spend a lot of time on that bouncy thing. Even when they're not on it, they never seem to let go of each other. I don't know how they get anything done."

"I've seen them eating," Tutu said, "actually it seemed like they were staring right at me as I was hunting for lunch in the trees. They must be doing enough to at least to feed themselves."

"More than that," Kiki told her. "I was flying over one of the trails the humans made and they were there. They found something stuck to a tree, paper I think. It would have made good nesting material. They seemed pretty excited looking at it. They started walking pretty fast."

"Where did they end up?" Tutu asked.

"They went to that place where the water comes down from the big rocks and splashes on the little ones," Kiki replied. "It looked like they were looking for something. They kept picking up rocks and looking under them. Then the female, I think the male called her Kate, she slipped on the moss and fell in the water. The male, I think she called him Castle, he was upset. I think he thought she hurt herself. He walked into the water after her. But she wasn't hurt. She reached up and pulled him in."

"He must have been mad," Tutu speculated. "My mate certainly would be if I tried to drown him."

"No," Kiki said. "He was making that sound they call laughing. They started playing in the water and splashing each other. Then they did the mating thing again. They were touching their beaks, or what do humans call those, lips? They did that a lot. Then they put their lips all kinds of other places and touched each other a lot. They got rid of some of those coverings humans wear. They just dropped them in the water before they finally got on with it."

"I don't know why the humans do that," Tutu commented. "If they're going to mate, you'd think they'd just get to it instead of spending so much time messing around."

"I know what you mean," Kiki agreed, "but they really seem to enjoy it. Anyway, after they were done, they didn't even get out of the water right away. They just sort of sat there for a while. Castle was holding Kate. Then they picked up their coverings and tried to get some of the water out of them. They put that stuff back on and looked under rocks in the water. I think Castle found what they were looking for because he gave what sounded like a triumph call. He showed Kate a thing that was round and shiny. They stared at it and seemed to be saying something. Then they went back to their nest."

"What happened then?" Tutu asked.

"I had to find the right places to see into their nest. I think they call those hard clear things windows. Anyway I had to find the right one. They were in the smaller place where all the water comes in. They were in that box thing together, under water again, but it looked like the water was hot this time. There was steam rising, like when the humans put water over a fire. I guess they were grooming each other, but somehow it turned into the mating thing again."

"Really!" Tutu exclaimed. "I don't think I'll ever understand humans."

"Me either," Kiki agreed, "but they are fun to watch. I think the mating made them hungry. After they put dry coverings on they went into the place where they keep all their food. You know humans. They don't just eat it, they play with it. They put different kinds of food together and make things with it. They put pieces of something inside pieces of that stuff that people sometimes scatter around for us. Then they took fruit and made pieces of that before they ate it. Then there was some kind of brown stuff. They were putting it each others' mouths like we feed the babies. It turned kind of soft and liquid and then it looked like they were getting it off each others' lips with their tongues. It was very strange. Somehow it seemed to put them in the mood to mate."

"Again?" Tutu asked. "Mating makes them hungry and eating makes them mate. How many babies do those humans need?"

"I don't know," Kiki answered. "I think they may just mate because it feels good. It certainly looks like it feels good. They fell asleep after that time and when they got up again they were looking at the shiny thing they found at the water. They put on more of those coverings and took a different trail. They were on it quite a while. There were a lot of those little flying things that taste so good around them."

"Well that must have been nice for them," Tutu said.

"They didn't seem to think so," Kiki disagreed. "They killed some of them but they didn't eat them. The way they were moving, it looked like they were just trying to get the tasty stuff to leave them alone. I think they were getting bitten. Castle looked very unhappy. He kept rubbing at red spots. Kate had some spots too, but she didn't seem as upset about them."

"Did they go back to their nest?" Tutu inquired.

"No," Kiki answered. "They kept going down the trail. They finally got to that huge pile of rocks. You know the one?"

"I do," Tutu told her. "What did they do there?"

"They were looking for something." Kiki replied. "I think they found it. It wasn't shiny. It was more of that paper stuff and there was something bright red around it. I would really loved to have that for my nest. It was very pretty. They took the red thing off and looked at the paper for a while. Then they finally took the trail back to their nest."

"More mating?" Tutu asked?

"Not then," Kiki answered. Castle was going at his spots with those pitiful things humans use for talons. Kate seemed to want to make him stop, so the last I saw, she was looking around for something in the water place to help him. I'll look in on them later. They are the best show we've had in a while."

"Yeah," Tutu agreed. "I'll be keeping an eye on them too."


	33. Chapter 33

Summer Mix

Chapter 33

"Castle, I spoke to the big house. Joe Murphy is coming. He has some local stuff for your bites that they sent for from the pharmacy on the next island, some special island formula repellant, and more food."

"About time," Castle groused, scratching at his arm. "I can't even shave. I've got one on my chin."

Kate ran her fingertips lightly over the stubble. "There may be an upside to that. We're hunting treasure and you look like a pirate. It's kind of sexy."

"You would tell me that when we're expecting company," Castle complained.

Kate bumped her hip against his. "We'll revisit it later. In the meantime we need to go over our clues. It will distract you from the …."

"Don't say it!" Castle interrupted. "Okay, the first one was pretty straightforward. 'Where water falls not fast nor deep you'll find the treasure that I keep.' We found the gold coin under the rock in the waterfall. Then on the coin, 'The road to take is on the right, you'll find me twined in something bright. To color do attention pay, twill matter on another day.' So the scroll was tied in a red ribbon. That means something. Then the scroll said 'the starboard bend for you will lead, to find the lushness of morn mead. Do gather flowers ribbon's shade, the more you get, the more you're paid.'"

"I get starboard bend," Kate mused, 'that means a trail to the right. What's a mead? Isn't that booze made from honey?"

"It's a literary term," Castle answered, "beloved by crossword makers everywhere. It means meadow. So we need a right bending trail that leads to a meadow where we gather bright red flowers. That probably means a lot of them. In scavenger hunts I've been on before, it's been the little things that mattered. If you get a whole bunch of them, you build up points. The question is, a right bending trail from what point of view. We took the trail on the right from the front door and it ended at that pile of rocks. It also took us through that bug storm."

"Maybe 'the ribbon's shade,' has a double meaning," Kate proposed. "There's shade at the back of the house from that huge tree. It looks kind of like a ribbon. Maybe it points somewhere. Of course that might depend on the time of day."

"You might be on to something," Castle agreed. "The clue said 'morn's mead,' that could be this morning. We can check it out after Joe gets here. We both can use that special repellant. You got bit too."

"I'm not as allergic to the bites as you are," Kate said looking at his still swelling welts with sympathy, "but yeah. I just hope the stuff doesn't stink."

Joe Murphy had a canvas bag with a fresh selection of fresh fruits, salad greens, and cheeses as well as beef and fish ready to go on the grill behind the house. Kate was pleasantly surprised that the special island anti-bug mix he brought carried the fragrance of eucalyptus, and that the remedy for Castle's bites had no odor at all. Castle thanked him effusively and tipped him generously.

Even before stowing the groceries, Kate applied the soothing balm to the sources of Castle's misery and was rewarded with a heartfelt kiss for her efforts. "Maybe you should have kissed Joe," she suggested.

"He can have my thanks and my money, but you get my love," Castle told her.

Kate rolled her eyes, stuck two fingers in her mouth and made gagging noises. "You'd better have better lines than that in _Raging Heat_."

Castle stuck out his lower lip in mock hurt. "Let's get the food put away and find our meadow of red flowers."

Castle had not noticed a slight bend in the tree behind the house before, but the dark shadow it cast led distinctly to the right. Pushing their way through the foliage in the indicated direction, he and Kate found a small path not visible from their house. Well slathered in repellant and supplied with the canvas bag from the groceries to transport their booty, they walked single file under a dark green canopy. The leaves rustled as birds and small animals darted through them. After about a mile the canopy thinned, finally disappearing to reveal a multi-hued field of flowers. Red ones seemed to be limited to a single area at the far end of the expanse. Arriving there, they found a wooden stake bearing another scroll with the message: "Gather your bounty while ye may, your efforts will most surely pay, but when the sun has calmed its scorch, they'll be retrieved from your front porch."

Kate and Castle filled their bag as the temperature steadily rose. As the sun approached its zenith, the patch of flowers was largely depleted, as were they. With sweat soaked shirts hanging damply on their bodies, they retraced their steps. Using the back door and stopping inside first for a blast of cool air, Castle brought their well stuffed bag to the small porch that fronted the house, quickly retreating back inside. "Shower!" he panted.

"With you!" Kate agreed.

Castle was not generally a fan of cold showers, but instead of cooling his ardor, he found the one following the flower hunt restorative. Kate seemed to have a similar reaction and ran her fingers sensuously over his body. "The island magic worked," she noted, "your welts are down to just little red spots."

"I'll say a prayer of thanks to the local god," Castle responded. "The only thing giving me an itch now is you."

"And what can I do about that?" Kate asked saucily.

"I guess you'll just have to scratch it," Castle murmured pulling her close.

Kate ran her fingernails lightly down his back, dislodging beads of water. They pulled away from the cooling spray as their lips met, moist and still slightly salty from sweat. Castle broke the connection to turn off the taps. "Enough cooling down," his voiced rumbled from deep in his chest. Stepping out of the stall and grabbing towels from the rack he hurriedly wrapped one around Kate and another around his own waist. Lifting her in his arms, he brought her to the bed. The towels were soon discarded as water vaporized on rapidly heating skin. Castle's mouth drove hungrily past the salty tang to the essence that was Kate, as she lifted, wrapping him in endless legs. He was lost in her as they came to each other. She threw her arms around him, craving him even more deeply.

An afternoon shower began outside as the air wrung itself dry, banishing the noontime heat. They never heard the patter of the drops against the windows or the thunder, faint in the distance. Their world extended only as far as their bodies could reach, pulsing and white hot, until like nova it exploded, slowly fading to a gentle glow.


	34. Chapter 34

Summer Mix

Chapter 34

The Castles slept through the afternoon, awaking after the rain had stopped. "Are you in the mood to grill?" Castle asked as they donned fresh clothes.

"Yeah," Kate replied, running her tongue over her upper lip. "The stuff that Joe Murphy brought this morning looked wonderful."

"The beef or the fish?" he inquired.

"How about a little of each, like surf and turf?" Kate proposed.

"You're on," Castle agreed.

Using the generous supply of seasonings from their kitchen cornucopia, Castle put together a rub for the beef and Kate mixed up a quick marinade for the fish. After putting their preparations in the refrigerator to let the flavors infuse, Castle started the charcoal in the grill. While they waited for the coals to come to grilling temperature, a quick peek on the porch revealed the morning's finds had been taken and replaced by another clue scroll, this one bound with two multicolor bands. Kate read it out loud. "Returning where you once have been, you'll find a wonder, not e'er seen. This task you cannot do at night but best in early morning's light. Look not up high but down below, to capture bright the double bow. The proof you'll leave where left before, to raise the tally of your score.

"A double bow," Castle repeated. "Look at the bands on the scroll. They must mean we're supposed to take a picture of a double rainbow."

Kate picked up his thread. "The place we've already seen is the waterfall. We're supposed to go back there early in the morning and then leave the picture on the porch. No wonder there's a printer."

"Handy," Castle agreed. "But that gives us the night to ourselves. There's something I want to do after dinner. Not just that! Well that later," he stuttered at Kate's look. "Kate, do you remember the case that brought you to me out of the storm?"

"Castle, how could I possibly forget that? That's when we found out about Bracken. That was the first time we made love."

"Kate, before we realized the murder was related to your mother's killing, we were making plans for that night, Alexis' graduation night. I'd asked if you wanted to come over and watch a John Woo double feature with me. I was surprised when you said yes."

"I remember," Kate said. "Then everything hit the fan."

"Well I thought we could have the night I planned back then," Castle told her. "It would have been our first real date. I have _The Killer_ and _Hard Boiled_ on my laptop. We could hook it up to the big screen in the sitting room. There's popping corn here. We could use it."

"Castle, it so sweet that you'd remember that. Fine, dinner and a movie - two movies."

The beef came off the grill tender and juicy, the fish, wrapped with vegetables in aluminum packets, moist and flaky. After pairing their entrees with quickly tossed salads, cleaning up and popping corn, the Castles were more than ready to curl up in front of a screen."

Kate was swiping tears from her eyes at the end of _The Killer_. "You know Castle, I knew how this was going to come out but somehow I was hoping anyway for another ending. I wanted love to triumph and Jenny to get new eyes. I wanted Ah Jong to save her."

"We all love stories of redemption, don't we?" Castle replied. "Well even if Ah Jong couldn't save her eyes, he did die knowing that Jennie loved him. I remember thinking about something like that when Rostoff's men had me. At least I knew you loved me. It kept me going."

"It was the same when Vulcan Simmons had me," Kate said, cradling his face in her palms. "Thinking about you, I could get through anything." Their lips met, only to be interrupted by a burst of static when the video system was without input.

Castle smiled ruefully. "I'll start _Hard Boiled_. It has a much happier ending."

By the final credits of the next movie, Kate, head on Castle's shoulder, was all smiles. "Tony and Tequila rescuing newborn babies and their mothers amidst a hail of mobster's bullets," Castle recounted smugly, "what could be better than that?"

Kate stuck her hand under Castle's shirt. "I can think of a few things"

Castle smoothed the hair back from her temple. "Tell me about them."

"I think," she purred, reaching for the remote to turn off the screen, "I need to show you." Kate rose and offering both of her hands for support, pulled Castle from his seat. Still holding his hand, she led the way to the bedroom. "Remember my trick with the ice?" she asked, pushing him back on the bed.

Castle's words caught in his throat. He nodded soundlessly.

"I'll be right back," Kate told him.

Kate brought the ice, but Castle was on fire. The frigid touch of her lips set every nerve in his body ablaze. He took the glass from her hand, setting it on the floor. His clothes had already been pushed aside by her electrifying touch. He tore at hers, needing them to disappear more quickly than possible. Kate, was more than willing, moving lithely to aid his fumbling fingers.

It was Castle's turn, a flashback to that first night. She was was like a drug, sparking further craving with every taste and touch. He fingered her scar, so familiar that he had almost forgotten its presence, yet holding unlimited implications. She had survived, they both had survived so much, to come together, be together, to promise everything.

This was the true honeymoon, knowing and feeling all that had come before, remembering the pain but holding fast to the joy, accepting the past but meeting the future with anticipation. The import of it flooded through their veins more profoundly than the lyric of any song could portray.

Castle held his wife for life. She invited him in, lovingly guiding the way. This was the true merging of lives, of hopes, of dreams. The synchrony was complete, each move in harmony, each thought shared. The depth of the journey overcame them, and as the moon and stars shone in the tropical night, they fell softly to earth, enfolded by their dreams.


	35. Chapter 35

Summer Mix

Chapter 35

The Castles awoke as the gentle pink of the sunrise streamed through the windows of the house. Taking no chances on missing their prize, Castle made breakfast without his usual flourish. Extra strong coffee, toast, and fresh fruit were sufficient fuel to set the couple on their way. Mist hung over the trail with morning light flashing from diamond droplets of moisture. The falls were magic, with water splashing off the rocks into the watery fog. Castle held his camera at ready, to catch the appearance of a multicolored treasure. Kate had brought towels which they placed over the rocks to provide a relatively dry place to sit. They took up posts at opposite ends of the falls and waited for something to appear.

The sun rose higher in the sky and the temperature with it, with no sign of a path to their pot of gold. "Castle," Kate declared, stripping off her light top and shorts to reveal her bathing suit underneath, "I'm going to take a swim."

"And it will be my pleasure to watch you," Castle replied.

Kate carefully entered the churning waters. The pool at the foot of the falls was not deep enough for her to actually swim, but she splashed enough water to cool herself until she caught sight of rocks, different from the others at the bottom of the pool. "Castle come and look at this," she called.

"Kate, you're not dunking me again, especially when I've got the camera," Castle protested.

"No, really," Kate argued. "There are a bunch of colored rocks in the bottom of the pool. They look a lot like a rainbow. They weren't here when we were hunting for the coin."

Castle took off his shoes, rolled up his shorts and waded in. "I see them," he confirmed as he reached the spot, "but it's supposed to be a double rainbow. Where's the other one?"

"Maybe these rocks mark where it's going to appear," Kate suggested. As if hearing her words, a shimmer of color formed in the droplets suspended in the air. After quickly rewarding Kate with a heartfelt kiss, Castle took as many shots as he could, framing the rainbow in the air and its copy in the rocks.

Castle left a stack of photos on the porch and returned to the kitchen where Kate was making thick sandwiches. Castle pitched in, preparing salads and icing coffee. Kate again filled the painted bowl with chips and they took their meal enjoying the lush view, yet comfortable in the coolness of the house. "Have you noticed those two birds?" Castle asked. "They've been here every day. I've even seen them outside the windows of the bathroom and our bedroom. I'd almost swear they were watching us."

Kate laughed, almost choking on her chilled latte. "Castle, it's nice to know that your imagination is as vivid as ever. The birds are just looking for food. Maybe they're hoping we'll throw some out to them. There've been lots of guests occupying this house. Some of them might have decided to feed the birds."

"I think I'll do that," Castle decided. "There's not enough of that bread left to do much of anything with. I can give it to them. Maybe they'll stop looking at us for a while."

"Or maybe they'll come around looking for more," Kate said doubtfully, "but whatever makes you happy."

Castle wiggled his eyebrows. "I'll hold you to that later."

Castle grabbed the leftover bread and took it out to the porch where he tore off bits he tossed in front of the house. As he returned inside he noticed that the photos he had put out had disappeared and another scroll taped to a small tin had been left in their place. He brought it back to Kate.

"What are those on the ribbon?" Kate asked. "They look like polka dots."

"More like chocolate chips or Hershey's kisses," Castle replied. "Let's see what it says." He read the rhymes out loud. "The task I give will test your skill, if to complete it is your will. With nuts you'll make a blossom bite and top it with a sweet delight. For me just leave a tasty test and happily enjoy the rest." Castle grinned. "I know what this means. They want us to bake peanut blossoms."

"My mother must have missed those in my culinary instruction. What are they?" Kate asked.

"They're every kindergartener's dream - unless they have a peanut allergy," Castle explained. "You make peanut butter cookies and then form the center of the flower with either kisses or a grouping of chocolate chips. It depends on whether you get the recipe from Hershey or Nestle. I know we didn't have any kisses in our chocolate stash, not that there would be any left to bake with, but I think I saw chips in our baking supplies. I'll check." Castle opened a cabinet and pulled out a large bag of extra dark chocolate bits as well as a jar of peanut butter. "We're set!" he announced gleefully.

"Castle do you have a recipe?" Kate asked.

"Recipe," Castle snorted, "I've done these for enough school parties and trips that I could do them in my sleep."

* * *

"Castle, maybe the problem is that you're awake," Kate suggested, surveying a cookie sheet full of overspread cookies with dark brown edges.

"Too much shortening," Castle said, shaking his head. "I couldn't remember if it was a half a cup or three quarters. It's all right. We have enough for another batch." He pried a cookie off the sheet and sampled it. "They taste good though."

The second time proved to be the charm. The aromas of peanut butter and warm chocolate mingled in the air as Castle produced several dozen treats. "I gotta admit, Castle," Kate said sampling one of his creations, "these are great."

"All we have to do is fill up the little tin and put it out on the porch and the rest of these are ours!" Castle proclaimed.

"Castle unless you want to eat yourself sick, what are we going to do with all of them?" Kate asked.

"There is actually something to be said for eating yourself sick on cookies," Castle offered. "I have extensive experience. But they do keep, and I have an idea, especially for the first batch."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Kate told him. "What?"

"Poker," Castle replied, "we can use them for chips."

"And if the cookies crumble?" Kate asked.

"Well then," Castle whispered, fingering the button that secured her top, "we'll just have to find something else to play for."


	36. Chapter 36

Summer Mix

Chapter 36

More Kiki and Tutu

"I'm really getting to like Castle," Kiki chirped.

"Me too," Tutu agreed. "He put all that food out for us yesterday and then those delicious bits today."

"Did you see how he ended up with those bits?" Kiki asked.

"No," Tutu replied. "Was he doing something with Kate?"

"He was doing something alright," Kiki answered, "but I have no idea what it was. They had this big pile of the good stuff, not bits, big pieces and they were doing something with rectangular pieces of something. It looked like that nice nesting material, only too stiff. Anyway it looked like they were playing with the stiff things and using the food somehow. The food started to break into smaller pieces until it was all in the bits Castle put out this morning."

"Did they stop playing?" Tutu asked.

"No," Kiki answered. "They still had those stiff things, but they started taking off coverings. They really seemed to be having a good time, much better than with the food. When they ran out of coverings they did that lip touching thing. Then Castle picked Kate up."

"Why?" Tutu asked. "Did she hurt herself?"

"Not that I could see," Kiki replied. "She looked happy. He just took her to the bouncy thing and they started mating again. They didn't gather up the bits until this morning. When Castle put them out, he found another one of those things with the pretty nesting material. He looked pretty excited and took it inside. I flew around to one of those hard things and I saw him show it to Kate. She looked excited too. Then that big shiny thing showed up and took them to the big water."

"How do you know where they went?" Tutu asked.

"I followed them," Kiki answered. "It was a short flight."

"What were they doing there?" Tutu asked.

"A lot!" Kiki exclaimed. "They got some things out of the big shiny thing and they were using them to dig holes in the sand. They kept looking at that piece of nesting material again and again. They looked confused. Then Castle found a thing on the beach. He called it a starfish. He and Kate put their lips together and he lifted her up and swung her around. They put the digging things back in the metal thing and got something soft out. They put the starfish in it and talked to the human who's always in the big shiny thing.

The big shiny thing went away leaving them on the sand near the water. They walked a long time, until the ball of light was at the top of the blue. They kept picking up starfish and hard round things and putting them in the soft thing. Then they finally walked back to where they started."

"Let me guess," Tutu said, "they mated again."

"I'm not sure," Kiki told her. "They took off some of their coverings, left the soft thing on the sand and went in the water. They just moved around for a while but then they did the lip touching thing a lot. I couldn't see what else they did, it was under the water. When they came out they just lay on the beach holding on to each other until the big shiny thing came back. It took them back to their nest."

"Then what?" Tutu asked.

"They left that soft thing with the starfish and hard round things where they've left all the other stuff that human with the funny thing on his head picks up. Then they went into the water place in their nest. I think they might have been hungry because they didn't even try to mate again, they just used the water to get the sand off their bodies, put on some new coverings and started playing with food again.

Castle was using something very noisy in the food room. I could hear it through the hard things. He put some red fruit in it and some white liquid and some other stuff. He ended up with some thick pink liquid. He gave it to Kate and they touched lips again. Then he made more noise, ended up with a brown liquid he kept for himself. They both made all kinds of little pieces of food. There was fruit and other stuff and some of those flat things that are really salty.

They ate really slowly, doing that thing where they feed each other again, but it also felt like they were looking at me through the hard things, especially Castle. Kate looked really happy with the pink liquid. She kept taking little drinks of it and touching Castle. Then they went to the bouncy thing."

Tutu let out a long trill. "More mating?"

"No," Kiki answered. "I think they must have been tired. Kate just sort of curled up in Castle's arms and they lay there. They might have been resting or sleeping."

"They do seem to like to sleep in the later part of the day," Tutu commented. "Most of the humans around here do. They don't seem to like to move around a lot when it gets really hot."

"That's true," Kiki agreed. "The one with the funny thing on his head was moving around though. He took the soft thing and left something else."

"Another one of the nesting material things?" Tutu asked.

"Something different," Kiki replied. "It was square and hard and had something in it that made sounds when the human moved it. It also had something on it. When Castle and Kate got up again, Castle picked it up. He showed it to Kate. They looked at what was on it for a while, then they opened it. There were a lot of pieces inside."

"Food?" Tutu speculated.

"It didn't look like food and they didn't try to eat them," Kiki told her. "But they took it to the place where they eat and spread all the pieces out on the flat thing they usually put their food on. Then they started putting the pieces together. There were little shapes that fit into each other. I don't know if they finished. They were still doing it when it started to get dark and I had to get back to my own nest. Bubu gets upset if I'm away too long."

"He probably just wants to see if you brought anything good back to eat," Tutu said, fluttering her wings. "That's what my mate is usually interested in."

"You're probably right," Kiki agreed. "I left some of Castle's good stuff in the nest but Bubu finished it up. I found some nice flying things on my way back though. Bubu was happy."

"Bet he wasn't as happy as Castle," Tutu teased.

Kiki cocked her head. "No, except for Kate, I don't think anybody is as happy as Castle right now, but I'm going to keep watching."

Tutu fluttered again. "Yeah, me too."


	37. Chapter 37

Summer Mix

Chapter 37

Kate sleepily reached reached over to find Castle's side of the bed empty. Wrapping herself in the silky house robe, she padded barefoot to the dining alcove. "Castle have you been up all night?" Kate asked finding Castle bent over the jigsaw puzzle.

"Yeah," I kept thinking I was almost finished and the next thing I knew the birds were squawking outside. Did you sleep?"

"A few hours. The clues keep rolling around in my head. I think our host is really playing with us now. Yesterday's was bad enough. 'Our Joe will take you to the beach, for only there your goal you'll reach, the heaven's treasure from the sea and Neptune's favorite currency.' Joe had those shovels. How much time did we spend digging before you found that starfish and we realized the shovels were a red herring?"

"I don't know," Castle replied. "maybe a couple of hours, but I should have known sooner. If there's anyone who should recognize a red herring, it's me. But this: 'You'll find the center of this race, if you this route can truly trace. The pieces will reveal the trail, uncover it and you'll not fail.' The puzzle is a map to somewhere but it's mostly green and there's no picture to go by."

"Something else is puzzling me," Kate said. "Where does all the stuff we put out on the porch disappear to? There's got to be someone keeping an eye on the house, but I've never seen anyone."

"Maybe it's the birds," Castle suggested. "They're really spy drones. That's why we keep seeing them."

"Castle, you have been up too long. Spy drones don't eat cookie crumbs. Somewhere out there is a human being. Listen, I'm going to start the coffee and then I can help you finish that."

Two hours and four cups of coffee later the Castles stared blearily at the completed puzzle. In the center was a house icon. Trails radiated from the icon like spokes on a wheel, all leading to smaller icons. "I think this must be us," Castle said, pointing to a pen superimposed over a "C". If you look at the little direction star in the corner, we're in the Southeast corner of the island. That makes that house icon Northwest. I have a compass app on my phone."

Kate laughed. "Of course you do."

"Anyway," Castle continued with a slight scowl at his bride, "If we start looking to the Northwest we should find a trail. I'll take a picture of the puzzle so we'll have the map and we can leave the finished thing on the porch for our stalker."

"How?" Kate asked.

"I slid a couple of cookie sheets under it last night. If we work together we can get it through the door," Castle replied.

Kate leaned in for a quick kiss. "MacGyver strikes again."

The Castles packed carefully for the trek through the tangled vegetation, taking not only their map and Castle's phone, but the special island bug repellant, snacks, a Swiss army knife, and a more sizable blade. They carefully scouted to the Northwest. At first the trail seemed invisible. Although it had been marked with stones, the ones nearest the end of the trail were green, and difficult to see. Castle doubted that they would have found it if two birds hadn't flown in and perched in the foliage near where it began. "Weren't those the two birds who were watching us?" Castle asked.

"So they're not drones, Castle?" Kate asked rolling her eyes.

"No," Castle answered, "definitely birds, and friendly. He pulled out a bag of trail mix and spread some of it on the ground for the helpful guides to pick up. "I'm going to put them into a book when we get back, maybe a children's book. I can call it _Bird Watchers_."

"Catchy," Kate opined. "I think this trail is really opening out. Look ahead. It looks like it's paved with white stone like they use on the roads."

"No wonder the birds knew to lead us here," Castle noted. "It's probably visible from the trees."

Kate shook her head in amusement. "That will definitely make a good children's story Castle."

The trail continued to widen. Kate was pleasantly surprised to spy a white stone bench, where she and Castle could sit and eat what he hadn't fed to the birds. The canopy was thick overhead, blocking much of the sunlight and giving what penetrated a slightly restful and very greenish hue. Given a chance to relax from the adventure for a few moments, Kate could see that the sleepless night had begun to catch up with Castle. "Sleepy?" she asked.

"Yeah, but nothing I can do about it," Castle answered.

Kate brushed back the hair clinging damply to his forehead. "Let's see what I can do to wake you up a bit." Cupping the back of his neck, she lightly brushed his lips with her own. Slowly, with each kiss, she increased the pressure.

"Kate," Castle told her, pulling away, "if I get any more up, we're not going anywhere, so if we want to get where we're going, you can finish waking me later."

"Count on it," Kate told him, picking up a large canvas purse that doubled as a small pack. Hand in hand on the still widening trail, they resumed their quest. Another hour's walk brought them to a scaled down manor house. Though only one story tall, it was flanked with white columns and had a veranda that seemed to wrap all the way around. A notice pinned to the door read: Come in, come in, this is the place, to see who's set the winning pace.

Castle pushed open the door to find himself in the hearty bear hug from old friend, owner of the island and mentor, Coogan Trace. "You made it!" Coogan exclaimed, switching from hugging Castle to hugging Kate. "The inimitable detective who has tamed the wandering boy. I've wanted to meet you ever since I read the first Nikki Heat book. You are at least as beautiful as your alter-ego."

"Watch it Coogan," Castle warned. "The lady is taken."

"I'm well aware that you're on your honeymoon dear boy. I don't get off the island much these days, although I was grateful for the invitation to your wedding, both invitations actually. I was most distressed when I heard of your abduction, but it looks like all's well that ends well."

"Where are the other players?" Kate asked.

"You're the first to make it here," Coogan replied. "I have a scout checking on the others." A young man wearing camouflage gear and a hat topped with what looked like jungle greenery came through the door as he spoke. "Oh, speak of the devil. This is Manu, he keeps an eye on all the players for me."

Kate gave Castle a light elbow in the ribs, "See," she whispered, "human."

That still doesn't explain the birds," Castle whispered back.

"Doesn't look like anyone else has solved the puzzle yet, boss," Manu reported. "I checked all the other houses. They're all still there."

"Well that's disappointing," Coogan said, "but we can make the best of it. I have cool drinks and later we can have a light meal. Until the last puzzle, I personalized the clues for all the players to give everyone a fighting chance. Up until now you were running about even with another couple, but if they don't make it in by sundown, I'll declare you the winners. Come, let's sit! You can tell me about your adventures in crime solving."

Coogan was both an enthusiastic listener and raconteur and it seemed like very little time until the rays of the sun slanting through the windows began to take on an orange hue. "It appears that you take the prize," Coogan announced over a spread of sparkling wine, cold meats, and both sweet and savory side dishes. You shouldn't be taking the trail back at night without a guide. Manu can show you. He knows lots of short cuts. Or you can stay in the guest room and return to your house first thing in the morning."

Kate looked at Castle, who without the adrenaline of the chase had begun to flag again. "Let's stay," she suggested. "I don't want to find out what's scurrying around the jungle at night."

"Kate Castle afraid of things that go bump in the night?" Castle teased. "I'm astounded, but I will humor the woman I love. Coogan, we're your guests for the night."


	38. Chapter 38

Summer Mix

Chapter 38

As Coogan was about to show the Castle's to their room, Manu appeared. "Mr. Trace, I just got a call from my cousin Tao who was checking on the Whittakers. They just put out their puzzle but they haven't tried to find the path. He's going to check in on them again at sunrise."

"The Whittakers?" Castle asked. "That wouldn't be Ann and Paul Whittaker?"

"It would," Coogan replied. "Do you know them?"

Castle smiled. "Yeah, another writer and his muse. We've crossed paths."

"Would you like to see them if they show up in the morning?" Coogan asked.

Castle looked at Kate, who nodded. "That would be nice," Castle said.

"Excellent!" Coogan agreed. "We'll see what happens in the morning. Now let me show you to your perch for the night."

The room was more than a perch. At the center was a huge four poster bed. It had its own bath with a large shower and a full array of toiletries, as well as robes similar to the ones at the Castle house, hanging on hooks on the door. "If you want to put your clothes outside the door for my housekeeper, she will have them clean and dry for you in the morning," Coogan informed the Castles. "Breakfast will be on the veranda whenever you're ready, but for now I bid you a fond good night." Coogan closed the door behind him.

Castle pulled his shirt up to his nose and sniffed it. "I don't envy the housekeeper washing this. I hope Coogan pays her well. Shower?"

"Absolutely," Kate agreed.

"No cherries," Castle complained, surveying the generous line up of bottles and tubes.

"Castle, if Coogan knew my favorite shampoo, I would find it more than a little creepy," Kate told him. "We'll make do." She grabbed a richly aromatic herbal, reminiscent of the flowers on the island. The shower nozzle was fully adjustable from tingling needles to a soothing spray. Kate was surprised when Castle chose the most stimulating setting. "Not your usual choice either," she commented, indicating the sharp water flow."

"You were going to finish waking me up," Castle murmured, cupping her cheek. "I've been looking forward to it."

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck as they stood under the pelting water. "Then I guess I've got to make good on my promise." Kate squeezed a spicy gel onto a loofah. She slowly ran it over his body, the roughness of the sponge melding with the pressure of the water. Castle worked the chosen shampoo into her hair, rinsing it with the spray attachment. Using gel on a softer puff, Castle laved her as well until they were both surrounded by steamy aromatic vapors and Castle's awaking was obvious. Grateful for the use of the thoughtfully provided toothbrushes, Kate stretched upward, gently bringing her lips to his. Castle needed more. He pulled her tightly to him, supporting her as they found the familiar fit of their bodies together. Water streaming over inwardly heated skin, almost indistinguishable from the steam and waves, rose inwardly, meeting the outer flood. Kate clung tightly to Castle as the tide crested, leaving them happily weak as it ebbed. They rubbed each other dry with fluffy towels. Wrapped in the silky robes, they stopped just long enough to put their spent clothes outside the door before climbing into the sumptuously awaiting bed.

Castle awoke to find Kate just starting to stir beside him. Full sunlight was pouring into the room. Checking the clock on the bedside table, he was surprised to find that it was already ten A.M. He fingered the soft strands of Kate's hair as she opened her eyes. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too," she said. "Looks like we slept in. I'm starving."

"Coogan said breakfast would be on the veranda. I'll check to see if we have clothes." Castle regretfully left Kate's side to peek out the door. As promised, their clothes were clean and neatly folded in a basket at the threshold. Castle retrieved them, bringing the basket back to the bed. They dressed quickly and worked on making themselves presentable with thoughtfully provided combs.

Kate muttered under her breath as her comb hit a tangle. "I really need my brush," she moaned in frustration."

"Let me help," Castle soothed, carefully using his fingers to separate the strands of the entangled mass. "I used to do this for Alexis." He ran the comb through her hair smoothly. "See, all better. Now let's feed you."

Breakfast was laid out in grand style with the service dishes covered in netted domes to avoid unwelcome visitors. A message on a card, executed in stunning calligraphy read "Help yourselves." A long table held a variety of fresh fruit. Sweet sliced onions waited as an accompaniment for smoked fish lying enticingly on a bed of ice. Freshly made rolls begged for plentifully supplied butter and jam. Coffee was hot in a carafe and juice was perfectly chilled. A separate small table held gleaming china and silver.

The Castles were on their second cups of coffee when Ann and Paul Whittaker emerged from the jungle. They looked at the Castles in surprise. "Welcome to the end of the trail," Castle said. "I'm sure our host is around somewhere, why don't you pull up a chair?"

"Mr. Castle, Detective Beckett, or is it Detective Castle now? What are you doing here?" Ann asked.

"We're your competition," Castle answered. "Tell us what you've been up to."

"I've been doing Lone Vengeance as a graphic novel," Paul answered. "I'm making up the stories now of course," he added too quickly. "The character just got optioned for an animated TV show. We don't know whether it's going to hit or not, but that's why we're here. We're celebrating."

"That's great!" Kate exclaimed. "Best of luck!"

"Hey, Castle said, "we could be doing cons together. You wouldn't believe..."

He was cut short as Coogan exited the front door and joined them. "I am Coogan Trace, your host," he announced. "Congratulations on completing your journey. Please, join us in a repast."

"Coogan, can I talk to you for a minute?" Castle asked.

"Of course, my boy," Coogan answered.

They stepped inside the house. "Coogan," Castle said, "whatever the prize is, just split it evenly. Just declare it a tie."

"Why?" Coogan asked. "The Castle I know loves to win."

"I do, and I did, well Kate and I did. We know we won. But Paul is starting on a new venture and he can use the confidence boost. Besides, I have a feeling that he and Ann are fellow crime fighters. They're sort of like a little brother and sister."

"Very well," Coogan agreed. "My boy, I'm proud of you."

Coogan made the announcement and Kate looked on in silent puzzlement as Castle coaxed Paul into a high five. "Castle, you asked Coogan to do that, didn't you?" Kate asked as they took the trail back to their house.

"Why Mrs. Castle," he answered with feigned innocence, "I have no idea what you're talking about."


	39. Chapter 39

Summer Mix

Chapter 39

"Castle," Beckett asked as they walked along the trail back to their house, "how do you know Coogan Trace? Other than when you were making the arrangements to come to the island, and when you put him on our invitation lists, I've never heard you talk about him."

"He's an old friend," Castle answered.

Beckett shook her head. "How old?"

"Coogan was very close to my mother," Castle explained. "He was a Broadway angel and he supported some of her plays. He started coming around after her first marriage broke up. I'm not sure they were even sleeping together. It seemed like they just had a common interest in the theater and enjoyed each others' company. I was pretty young. That was one of the good periods. Mother stayed in New York except for out of town tryouts. I wasn't kicked out of school. Coogan took me places like museums, even when Mother was away. That's one of the reasons I started taking Alexis. Coogan set the example."

Kate smiled. "I thought you did it to pick up chicks."

"I just told you that because I was just trying to keep up my bad boy image, but I think you know that. Anyway," Castle continued, "when mother started doing more film and TV work, she and Coogan sort of drifted apart. They still had dinner every so often and he would sometimes take me to some special event, especially if it was kid friendly, but I didn't see him often. We stayed in touch in a Christmas card sort of way and I think when mother really hit a hard patch he helped her out a couple of times. I think he may have even picked up some of my tuition at one point. He pretty much disappeared after her second marriage. I heard him tell Mother that the guy was a crook. She didn't want to believe it and well - you know what happened. Then he bought the island and disappeared from the New York theater scene. This is the first time I've seen him in at least a couple of years."

"So he was kind of a surrogate father?" Kate asked.

"I suppose," Castle replied, "not in the way people usually think about it. We didn't throw a ball around. We didn't go hunting or fishing. He never gave me a beer or a condom. But he was around when I needed him, at least for part of my life. I'll always be grateful for that."

"Did he teach you to ride a horse?" Kate asked.

"I don't know how you figured that out, Detective," Castle answered in surprise, "but yes he did. We went riding on the bridal paths in Central Park, the three of us, actually. Mother's always thought she looked stunning in a riding habit."

"Somehow it seemed to go with you stealing a police horse," Kate responded. "Playing the bad boy, while reliving the old days?"

"I didn't steal it, I borrowed it, but again, very perceptive, Detective. Nicely done."

"Thank you Castle, but it did take me about four years to figure it out. When I first met you for real, not when you signed my book, I had no idea what kind of man you really were," Kate confessed. "You put on a good act."

"Must be Mother's genes, or maybe even my father's. I guess it takes a lot of acting chops to spend your life in deep cover. But it was a matter of self defense," Castle explained. "When you're at school and you can't throw a ball, but you know about almost every comic ever written, you get pushed into the lockers; you get the wedgies; your stuff gets stolen or wrecked. But when you're a bad boy, when everyone is laughing at your antics, you don't get beat on. I found that out around seventh grade. After a while it became a habit - except with Mother and Alexis, and now you."

"Thank you," Kate said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "That is the nicest gift you've ever given me." Their lips met, Castle pulling her ever closer. Squawking echoed from the greenery above them as they kissed. Castle pulled back just far enough to speak. "Let's walk faster!"

They were almost at a run when they crossed the front porch to the front door. Clothes hit the floor as Castle kicked the door shut and they rushed their way to to the bedroom. Kate pushed a willing Castle to the bed and straddled him. He was hers, more than he had ever been. She wanted to explore every part of him. The sweatiness of their hurried return did nothing to deter her as she savored the taste of salt on her tongue. Her touch was electrifying. Every part of Castle's being cried out to explore her depths even as she did his. He pulled her beneath him, surrounding her. Fingers buried in her hair, he held her head as their mouths met hard and deeply, bodies impossibly close, yet not close enough. They were one, their joining the culmination of their growing intimacy. They were the sole occupants of their own world, giving and taking until when no more could be given or taken, they found their rests in each others' arms.

Reality slowly returned as the rising heat of the day increased the hum of the insects and the clamor of the birds outside. Kate snuggled beneath Castle's arm. "You know," she said, "when Meredith was staying at the loft she told me that the reason your marriage to her broke up was that you knew enough about her to fill fifty novels and she didn't know enough about you to write a pamphlet. Was that true? Did you keep everything under wraps with her?"

"Kate," Castle replied, "the reason my marriage to Meredith broke up was she had an affair with her director, moved to Malibu, and served me with divorce papers. That was not a story I wanted to spread around. She was not exactly the best mother to Alexis either and I don't know if she could write a pamphlet about me, or anything else, or whether she would even want to. She is beautiful and a lot of fun and in her own way she loves Alexis and Alexis loves her. But you're aware of that. I could never tell her what I've told you. I never wanted to. She was a playmate, at least for a while. You are my life mate, always."


	40. Chapter 40

Summer Mix

Chapter 40

"Do you want to go out to dinner tonight?" Castle asked.

"Where Castle?," Kate replied. "You want to picnic in the jungle?"

"No," Castle explained, "remember when we were having dinner with Coogan he said there's a restaurant on the next island? Manu could tale us over in a skiff."

"Castle, do you even know what the local currency is?"

"This whole area uses East Caribbean dollars. I got some before we got on the ship. A Black Card also tends to work wonders. We'll be fine."

"Okay Castle," Kate agreed. "sounds like fun."

Kate dug into her cruise wear for a curve hugging island sarong, which she paraded slinkily in front of Castle. "Wow, maybe we should just stay in," he suggested.

"No way, Castle," she insisted. "You asked me out, there's no reneging on the deal."

Joe Murphy delivered them to the dock, where Manu was waiting with a small but swift boat. The breeze caught Beckett's hair, igniting Castle's fantasies for later in the evening. The trip was short and the restaurant almost on the water, requiring only a short walk. Manu assured them they should take their time. He had friends to visit and he would be back in a couple of hours.

Molly's Dream was aptly named. The walls were covered with fantasy murals of love scenes in exotic settings. The tables held fresh flowers and squat candles with the spicy scent of cinnamon. The fare was whatever the local fishermen had brought in that day, cooked with island heat and cooled by frosty concoctions of fruit and rum. The meal was served by white coated waiters, anxious to please.

* * *

Castle gazed at Kate as she popped tiny coconut dessert treats into her mouth. Her eyes held the glow usually brought on by her favorite red wine. As delicious as the meal had been, he wished they were back at the house, but even though twilight was rapidly turning to darkness, at least a half hour remained before Manu would return to the boat. He laid enough bills to cover the check and a generous tip on the table. "Do you want to take a walk?" he asked, extending his hand.

Kate nodded and intertwined her fingers with his. With no interference from city lights, the stars blazed against the sky and the almost full moon reflected off shiny shells brought to shore by the tide. Kate shivered as the ocean breeze brought a chill to her bare shoulders. Castle wrapped his jacket around her and held her against his side as they walked across the sand. "I almost hate the thought of going back to New York," Kate said.

"We have time," Castle told her. "We have another day before we leave and then a couple of days on the schooner before we reach the mainland."

"Still," Kate persisted. "It's never been like this before. No work or worrying about work, no family crises, no hit men, just being - with you. It's like a beautiful dream."

"It's very real," Castle assured her. "But it doesn't need to end when we get back to the city. We can make sure, even after we have children, that we always find time to be together."

Kate snuggled into his side as they made their way back to the dock.

Castle noticed that Kate was shivering again as she returned his jacket when they arrived at the house. He draped the jacket back over her shoulders."Kate, you should keep that, at least until I make you some hot coffee, or would hot chocolate be better?"

"How about the hot tub?" Kate suggested.

"In the dark?" Castle asked dubiously.

"There are some tiki torches in the back, around it," Kate reminded him.

"All right, I'm game," Castle agreed, grabbing a flashlight and an extra long lighter out of the utility drawer in the kitchen. "I can get them lit while you get ready."

Kate's flesh colored swimsuit, designed for entrapment, was almost invisible in the torchlight. After changing into trunks, Castle joined her in the wooden tub. He had turned the temperature as high as it could go without scalding their skins and he held Kate as she absorbed the warmth. "Better?" he asked?"

"Mmm," Kate purred as she relaxed against him, eyes closed. The rum and caressing water had done their work. Lightly stroking her hair, Castle realized that she was almost asleep.

"Kate," Castle whispered, "you can't fall asleep in here. We need to get you to bed."

"Fine with me," she agreed drowsily as he supported her weight and guided her up the wooden steps. As soon as they were free of the tub, he snagged a towel and picked her up entirely. Her head rested heavily against his shoulder as he brought her to the bed.

Throwing the towel down to catch the moisture, he laid her on it and stripped off her suit. "I've been waiting to do that since we first went to L.A. together," he said under his breath, not expecting her to hear him.

Kate's eyelids fluttered and the words came almost as a sigh. "I've been waiting too." Eyes half closed, she reached up to find his face. Slowly she brought him to her, her lips parted to receive his kiss. The longing he had suppressed all evening suddenly broke free. The flavor of coconut, rum, and Kate overwhelmed his senses. Lips never leaving hers, drops of water were flung across the room as he tore at his trunks and threw them to the floor. He covered her, the heat radiating from his body a fiery cloak, evaporating the last drops from her skin.

The doors that had once been closed were now wide open. Kate's every muscle was limp and waiting to awaken at his scorching touch. His passion flowed into and through her as they moved in the dance both ancient and ever new. The finale reached, the shudders that wracked Kate's body were not born of cold ocean wind but of love's inner blaze. Sleep drew her into its grasp, but not before the words escaped her lips: "Rick, I love you."

Castle carefully pulled the towel from beneath her, taking it and the damp discarded suits to the bathroom to dry. Returning to the only slightly damp bed, he held her against his body, pulling a light blanket over the two of them. He kissed the temple of the woman tucked securely beneath his chin. "I love you too."


	41. Chapter 41

Summer Mix

Chapter 41

Kate opened her eyes with a sigh of regret. "What's wrong?" Castle asked, suddenly jerked to awareness.

"It's our last day here," Kate answered.

Castle reached for her hand, "Then we'll just have to make it great. I'll go start the coffee."

Kate squeezed his hand before releasing it to move into the warmth still emanating from his side of the bed.

Castle made two perfect lattes, artfully topping them with hearts, and brought them back to the bedroom. Kate sat up and smiled as he handed her a mug. "So," Castle asked as she sipped, "How would you like to spend our remaining hours in paradise?"

'What haven't we done yet?" Kate asked.

"There are supposed to be some magnificent cliffs on the North side of the island and a special white sand beach," Castle replied. "We could have Joe take us there, maybe take a picnic?"

"That sounds nice, Castle."

Joe Murphy delivered them to a beach at the base of towering cliffs. Kate picked up a handful of sand, letting it sift through her fingers. "Castle, it's beautiful, almost like sugar."

Castle mimed tasting it. "I don't think it's quite right for peanut blossoms," he quipped, "but I bet we could build a great castle."

Kate grinned."A Castle castle, that makes sense somehow." Shy of a pail or shovel, they transferred the contents of the chip container from their luncheon spread to a large napkin, and used the container to scoop sand and carry water. Kate enthusiastically worked on the major parts of the building while Castle built the moat and did the finer work on fenestration. "Castle, I've seen how well you carve pumpkins, but I never realized before that you're actually a pretty good sculptor," Kate told him admiringly.

"Art was one class I was never in danger of flunking," Castle replied. "I like imagining things and making them happen."

"Just like you do in your stories, except in 3-D," Kate observed.

Their construction was interrupted by the arrival of a Jack Russell terrier who showed a fascination with their creation. Their new companion, almost as white as the sand except for brown ears and a brown patch over one eye, sniffed the towers and stuck his muzzle into the moat. "What's your name, Buddy?" Castle asked.

The dog immediately lifted his head and shoved it under Castle's hand to be petted. Castle obliged and scratched him behind the ears, before examining the tag on the leather collar. "No wonder he got so friendly!" Castle exclaimed with a laugh. "His name is Buddy. He must belong to one of the locals."

"Yeah, somehow I don't think there are any leash laws on the island," Kate speculated.

"I would imagine that Coogan would want any messes cleaned up though," Castle offered. "He does run a very tight ship. He always has."

"The beach is spotless," Kate agreed. "He must have someone doing regular maintenance." She felt a drop of water hit her arm and looked up. Intent on their building campaign, they hadn't noticed the blue of the sky rapidly becoming an ominous gray. "I think we're about to get rained on."

"That looks like more than a shower is coming," Castle judged, looking up. As he spoke, the handful of drops was becoming a downpour. Buddy began to bark, running a short distance away before stopping, looking back at them, and barking again."I think he wants us to follow him," Castle said.

"I think you're right," Kate agreed. "Maybe he knows about some shelter nearby."

Quickly they picked up the bag holding their picnic supplies and hurried toward the dog. Apparently seeing that he had their attention, Buddy took off at a run to the cliffs. They followed as fast as they could. He disappeared behind a tangle of foliage which they found concealed the entrance to a cave. The opening in the rock was pitch black. Castle activated the flashlight app on his phone and they entered cautiously. "I hope there aren't any bats in here." Castle fretted. "You don't even have your gun to shoot them."

"I don't see or smell any, Castle," Kate responded reassuringly. "Besides, Buddy can scare them away. I wish we had a real flashlight, though."

"I've got something a little more romantic," Castle told her. "I brought the lighter and a candle for our picnic." Candle pulled a blanket out of their bag and spread it on the cave floor. He placed a small plate in its center, topping it with a large fat candle which fortunately lit easily. The light was dim, but enough to make out the various courses of their meal. "We might as well eat," Castle suggested starting to unpack their lunch. Buddy barked when he got to the sliced roast beef.

"I think we've got a guest," Kate said.

"Well he deserves it for getting us out of the rain." Castle replied. "We can share." Castle made sandwiches on crusty rolls for himself and Kate, giving the rest to a grateful Buddy, who showed no interest in the salads, fruit, or chips. Castle pulled out two carefully packed wine glasses which he filled with a fruity sparkling wine, handing one to Kate. "To smart dogs and dry caves," he toasted. Their glasses touched with the ring of crystal.

Buddy curled up near the wall of the cave making soft snoring noises. Castle found himself gazing at Kate's lips, shiny in the flickering candlelight with the juice of a ripe mango. "You have some...," he said touching the corner of his mouth.

The tip of her tongue circled her lips. "Did I get it?"

Castle's murmur was barely audible as he watched hypnotized. "No, you still..."

"You get it," Kate told him, reaching out to cup the back of his neck.

The sweetness of the mango tingled his tongue as he covered her lips with his own, the drumbeat of the rain outside playing backup to the beats of their suddenly racing hearts. Dishes and candle were shoved back as they explored each other in the semi-darkness. With the blanket the thinnest of protection from the hard rock, Castle lifted Kate to his lap, tasting more deeply of the intoxicating flavors she offered. She was as greedy as he, savoring what he so freely gave. Her fingers found the buttons of his shirt and she thrust her hands beneath it, his skin warm against her palms.

"Kate!"

"I know," she answered, hands moving lower. She faced him, knees just brushing the blanket's nubby surface, and removed the last barriers to their desire. The unyielding rock beneath them was forgotten as they moved, feeling, guiding, through the haze of need and candlelight. As the roll of thunder followed lightning outside, the rumble of explosive breaths followed the shattering release of passion's thrall. Kate collapsed against Castle, her body encircled by his arms.

Time retreated until re-summoned by Buddy's bark. The couple slowly separated, refastening and adjusting. "I think the rain has stopped," Kate said. "I don't hear it."

Castle picked up the candle and made his way to the cave entrance. "The sun's back," he reported, returning. With Buddy trotting ahead of them, they found their way back to the beach, rapidly drying in the tropical heat. They sat on their blanket on the sand, watching the waves and waiting for Joe Murphy to arrive. Buddy frolicked near the edge of the water nearby.

The white limousine drove up after half an hour. Joe Murphy helped them stow their belongings in the trunk and opened the door to the rear seat. "I'm sorry I didn't come back when it started to rain," he apologized."I was helping other guests."

Castle looked at Buddy, now sitting on the sand, watching them. "We got some help. Our new friend there led us to shelter. Joe, do you know who that dog belongs to?" Castle asked. "His tag just says Buddy."

"He's sort of an island mascot," Joe answered. "Manu and his cousins take care of him. He doesn't usually approach the guests."

"Maybe he likes sandcastles," Castle suggested.

"Or the smell of roast beef," Kate put in.

"The local legend is that he only comes to the couples who are most deeply in love," Joe told them as Buddy barked.

Castle reached for Kate's hand, wrapping her fingers in his own. "Now that," he said, his eyes locking with hers, "even you have to believe."


	42. Chapter 42

Summer Mix

Chapter 42

"My boy, it was good seeing you," Coogan Trace told Castle as they stood on the dock. "Safe journey to you both."

The Castles stared out at the tall ship anchored at sea, in sight of the dock. "Castle, it's magnificent!" Kate exclaimed. While Manu loaded the Castle's luggage aboard a skiff, Coogan kissed Kate's hand and helped her aboard with Manu handing Castle in after her. The passage to the schooner was short and soon the crew of the ship was helping bring the Castles and their cargo to the deck. The crew was casually dressed in t-shirts and jeans as was Captain Jeff Mercer, distinguished only by a jaunty cap.

Mercer extended a hand. "Welcome aboard the Sarah Jean. Bronwyn told me you've sailed on her before."

"I have," Castle explained, "in my wilder days. My wife hasn't."

Mercer inclined his head at Kate. "Then let me give you the five cent tour." He led the Castles around the deck explaining the sails and how the ship was controlled. A narrow set of stairs brought them to the cabins and galley below. The cabins were small but richly furnished. Polished wood framed the bulkhead. The bed, tiny nightstands, and small desk all matched the trim. The attached head was compact but complete, with a spotless shower stall, commode, and vanity sink. Everything is bolted down, "Mercer explained, "in case we hit rough seas. But we'll try to go around any severe weather. We get regular updates via satellite. I'll inform you if we have to divert from our planned course to Jacksonville. Barring that, you can expect to arrive in about two days. We serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner on deck unless there's weather. The cook will ring a bell. There's also a snack locker in the galley. A pod of dolphin has been spotted not too far from here. We should be coming up on them in a couple of hours if you want to take pictures."

"I'd like that," Kate said.

"All right," Mercer told her. "I or one of the crew will let you know when they're close. In the meantime, I'll have the crew stow your luggage in your cabin and you can settle in."

A crew member who introduced himself as Johnny arrived with their bags shortly after Mercer left, placed them securely in a built in locker and left. "Castle," Kate requested, as she pulled out her toiletry case and placed it in a drawer in the vanity, "tell me about Bronwyn."

The corners of Castle's eyes crinkled at the mention of the name. "I met Bronwyn Miller when Black Pawn had just agreed to publish _In a Hail of Bullets_. She writes romantic mysteries and she was already in their stable. They picked her up because she's too raunchy for Harlequin or Putnam. Over the years we've commiserated over the demands of the editorial staff. She's always been a sympathetic ear when Gina's been driving me crazy, as a publisher, not an ex-wife. She's also joined the mystery writer poker games when she's been in town. She's had three husbands and she got the Sarah Jean as part of one of her divorce settlements, I don't remember which one. She invited me aboard her celebratory voyage. We visited and caroused on a whole string of islands - not Coogan's island though. That was a Richard and Kate Castle first."

"I don't think I've ever seen a book by Bronwyn Miller, even in your collection Castle. Does she write under a pen name?"

"She writes under several," Castle explained. "I saw a couple of her J. B. Cobb books in your apartment. I remember wondering what you were doing while you read them."

Kate reddened. "Much as I love you Castle, some things are just going to have to stay private."

"I'll agree to that as long as you don't get into my porn stash, unless I do it with you."

Kate laughed. "Okay Castle, deal. You want to go on deck?"

Castle offered his hand in answer.

The ship was just getting underway and Coogan's island could still be seen retreating in the distance. A steady breeze filled the sails, though the surface of ocean was calm. Kate leaned on the rail with Castle's arms around her, watching the water. Though there was little to see, the motion of the ship in the warmth of the sun was almost hypnotic and she was content to left her mind drift. She was brought out of her reverie by the clanging of a bell announcing lunch.

The ringer was a small wiry woman named Bertha, with a towel wrapped around her waist over her jeans. Food was served on a long table bolted to the deck, in which there were receptacles where she placed pans of her fare to be served family style. The menu had a definite island flair and featured jerk chicken as well as fruits and vegetables locally obtained wherever the ship found a port. Chilled local beer was offered as well as water produced by a small shipboard desalinization unit. Castle noticed that a couple of the crew were watching to see how he and Kate would react to the heat of Bertha's spice. If they were expecting the couple to have difficulty, they were disappointed. Both Castle and Kate enjoyed the small amount of sweat beading on their foreheads from Bertha's efforts and happily washed the meal down with beer. Bertha's pièce de resistance was a cake of her own invention referred to by the crew only as "Bertha's Beauty." Castle thought he detected coffee, chocolate, an unfamiliar fruit flavor, and a very slight kick of cayenne. It was beyond delicious.

The crew members returned to their stations as soon as the meal was finished. The Castles opted to walk off the calories with multiple turns around the deck until Johnny approached to report that the ship would soon encounter the pod of dolphins Captain Mercer had mentioned. Castle hurriedly retrieved his camera from their cabin and he and Kate took up a position in the bow. Fins were soon visible in the water with an occasional dolphin actually jumping out of the water to be caught by Castle on video. Kate was delighted when one of the sea mammals actually came alongside the ship and chattered at them. The dolphins appeared to enjoy accompanying the Sarah Jean for about an hour of its voyage before swimming off on their own course.

"They really looked like they were having fun," Kate said as she watched the pod depart.

"You know," Castle said nuzzling her neck, "it's getting very warm up here. We could go below and have some fun of our own."

Kate curved her hand over the back pocket of his pants. "You're on!"


	43. Chapter 43

Summer Mix

Chapter 43

The gentle rocking that had lulled the Castles to sleep had grown to where it threatened to pitch them from the three quarter bed that was all the cabin could accommodate. "Kate we should go up on deck," Castle told her.

"Castle," she protested, "it's probably storming up there."

"Trust me," he insisted. "When the ship is moving like this you want to keep your eyes on the horizon, or bad things can happen."

Grabbing some of the foul weather gear stowed below deck and holding tightly to the railings, they ascended the narrow stairs. Their faces were immediately hit by pelting rain driven by a heavy wind. Castle led Kate to the railing at the side of the ship. "Hold on tight and keep looking out," he instructed. "I'm going to find out what's going on."

Captain Mercer was fully engaged in steering the ship, but Castle found his first mate Calvin McGregor. "A tropical storm took an unexpected turn," McGregor explained. "The Captain is going to take us out of it and around, but we won't be able to take you to Jacksonville. We're going to have to head further up the coast. We won't know where until we know where the storm is going to make landfall."

Castle returned to Kate, standing between her and the wind to take the brunt of the storm. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Except for getting soaked, okay. Why am I staring at the horizon, Castle?"

"Because what can make you sick is getting mixed messages from your eyes and your inner ear. If your inner ear tells you you're moving and your eyes don't, that's when your brain makes your stomach rebel."

"Castle just how much time did you spend in the public library?" Kate asked, a smile creeping over her very wet face.

"More than you can imagine," Castle replied, "but I've also been on this ship in bad weather before. I learned the hard way, before Bronwyn gave me the word. If you do feel sick, we can see if Bertha has some ginger. It works as well as pills but doesn't make you sleepy."

Kate rolled her eyes. "As if anyone could sleep in this."

The sails had been furled and Captain Mercer was using the power of an emergency engine to steer the ship away from the storm. The wind and rain began to come in bands as they reached the outer edges of the turbulent weather. Finally it stopped altogether. As the Castles were drying out in their cabin, having survived without ill effects, Colin McGregor knocked on the door. Kate retreated to the head while Castle answered the door wrapped in a towel.

"The Captain had to take us north," McGregor reported. "We should probably be anchoring off Virginia, most likely Chincoteague Bay. That's one of the Captain's favorite destinations up there. It will add a couple of days to your trip. If there's anyone you need to notify, you can use the ship's satellite phone."

"Thanks," Castle replied. "I need to at least call my daughter. She can call everyone else who needs to know. I'll be up in a little while."

"Did you hear that?" Castle asked a now dressed Kate as she emerged from hiding.

"Castle, I did." Kate answered. "Captain Gates isn't going to be pleased if I'm late getting back to work. She'll probably give me weekend shifts for at least a month."

"Maybe not," Castle replied. "I found a couple of those creepy Gemini Dolls she loves so much and put them away for an emergency. You can always bribe her."

Kate laughed. "You would think of that! Anyway, I like the idea of Chincoteague. I read a book called _Misty of Chincoteague _when I was a little girl and I've been wanting to see the wild ponies ever since."

"Great!" Castle exclaimed "I've never seen them either. It will be another first we can do together. Do you want to come with me to call Alexis?"

"Shouldn't you get dressed first?" Kate asked.

"You were never on a cruise with Bronwyn," Castle answered teasingly, "but if it makes you more comfortable.

"Comfortable for now, Castle," Kate told him saucily, handing him a lightweight plaid shirt. "We'll see what happens later."

* * *

"Dad what happened?" Alexis asked with an edge of panic in her voice. "Are you all right? Is Kate all right?"

"Alexis relax," Castle soothed. "we just needed to avoid the storm that looks like it's hitting Florida. We're both fine. I just need you to tell Gram and call Captain Gates and the boys. You should call Henry Jasper too. He wanted me to check in with him when I got back."

Castle could hear a deep breath at the other end of the phone. "Okay Dad, love you."

"Love you too," Castle responded, ending the call. Lines had formed between his eyes that Kate hadn't seen since they started their honeymoon. "Alexis is really spooked. She didn't used to respond to changes in my schedule that way."

Kate stroked his arm comfortingly."Well consider everything that's happened, Castle. She thought she lost you. We both did. Then we had bodyguards everywhere. That had to be more than a little unnerving for her. It was unnerving for me, but I've had you with me and she hasn't."

"You're right," Castle agreed. "I'll call her as soon as we get to Chincoteague."

The bell clanged loudly. "Wow, Bertha managed to cook through that!" Kate exclaimed with admiration.

"Let's see what she managed to put together," Castle suggested.

Bertha had managed quite a lot. She had put together a seafood stew reminiscent of cioppino, with an accompaniment of crusty bread baked the afternoon before. There were even cookies that Castle happily identified as snickerdoodles. Even with still choppy seas, no one appeared to have any difficulty appreciating Bertha's efforts. Castle resolved to contact Bronwyn to find out what kind of a gift he could send to thank the chef, as well as the rest of the crew.

The sun was actually shining on deck and the Castles took the opportunity after lunch to lay on securely attached deck chairs and enjoy it. A favorable wind caught the now unfurled sails, causing the ship to gain speed, but also dislodging the hats they had pulled over their eyes.

"Castle, it's later," Kate whispered reaching over to stroke his arm, "you want to go below and see about getting comfortable again."

"Yes, please," Castle answered, springing up from his repose.

Kate took his hand and led the way, laughing as he slammed the cabin door. In the small space, the bed was only steps away, but Kate had his shirt open by the time they got there. He returned the favor, trailing kisses over her skin as he revealed it. The motion of the waves only added to their hunger for each other. The intimacy of the small space drew them close and the storm was forgotten as they brewed one of their own in its wake. Lips found lips as questing touch found sensitive places, no longer secret. The intensity of their private gale grew, hurling them together without thought or plan. Finally becalmed, they found safe harbor in each others' arms.

A/N No matter how wide the smile or funny the joke, you never truly know what darkness hides beneath the mask. RIP Robin Williams. We'll miss you.


	44. Chapter 44

Summer Mix

Chapter 44

The voyage to Chincoteague Bay passed without incident, despite the choppiness of the sea from the proximity of the storm. The Castles spent lazy days soaking up the sun on deck and were ready for adventure when they disembarked. Castle had called ahead to book accommodations at an inn on the water, which featured amenities that had been missing on the Sarah Jean. Kate had been longing for a hot bath and he was more than happy to fulfill her wishes. He called to reassure Alexis, while Kate explored their private facilities.

"Castle," Kate reported happily. "There's a full sized Jaccuzi in there."

"You want to enjoy that while I see about a car and a flight back to New York?" Castle asked.

Leaning her head against his back, Kate put her arms around Castle's waist. "I'd rather have some company."

"I can do that," Castle replied.

Kate filled the tub with hot water, but, in deference to Castle, not the sweetly floral scented bubble bath provided by the inn. They climbed in together, Kate settling in the vee of his legs, leaning her head back against his chest, and closing her eyes to enjoy the swirl of heat against her skin. Castle had plugged his phone into a dock and music played softly as they soaked. He could feel Kate's muscles relaxing as her mind drifted. His mind was not as easily at rest. Alexis had wanted details concerning their arrival and he had none. The nearest airport, Salisbury-Ocean City had very limited passenger flights and only to Philadelphia and Charlotte. If they wanted any kind of direct flight to New York, they would need a charter or drive to either Baltimore or Washington D.C.. He was more inclined to get a charter, but he needed time to set one up. Kate's ponies were not on Chincoteague itself but on the neighboring Assateague. He would need to arrange transportation there as well and plan out some sort of schedule that would allow them to return to New York without too much loss of time.

Kate's voice came as a sing-song. "Ca-a-astle, you're not relaxing. I can feel it."

Castle kissed her hair. "Sorry. Talking to Alexis reminded me that I had things to work out."

Kate turned in the water to face him, clasping her hands behind his neck. "Maybe I can help you, she murmured"

Castle caressed her cheek. "I know you can."

As their lips met softly, Castle increased the pressure of the kiss, pulling Kate tightly against him, his fingers deep in her hair. Kate could feel his need feeding her desire. The water moved in waves around them, almost over topping the edge as their bodies moved in slick motion. Thought was pushed away, leaving only the quest for fulfillment, the search ever more frantic as sensation rose. Overcoming them both, the end was sudden, almost a surprise, leaving Castle staring gratefully into Kate's eyes. "I know the bath was supposed be your treat," he said, smoothing back a strand of her hair that had escaped its clasp, "but thanks, I needed that."

"Mr. Castle," she answered, tracing his lips with a fingertip, "it was my pleasure."

Dried off and dressed, Castle flipped through the literature provided by the inn for tourists. "Kate," he called, as she was brushing out her hair, "this could be fun. There's a salt marsh kayak trip in the back bays of Assateague National Park. We'd get to look for all the local wildlife including the ponies. We're not here at the right time for the major events, penning or the salt water swim, so this could be the best way to go. They'll even pick us up in a van. I won't have to get a car."

"It sounds good Castle," Kate agreed. "How will that fit in with getting back to New York?"

"I called the local charter service. They'll have a plane on standby for us when we're ready. If I can book the kayak trip for tomorrow morning, that will be about six hours round trip. Then we can fly to New York and be home in time for a late dinner."

"See if you can do that, Castle," Kate told him, "but speaking of dinner..."

"The Inn's got a list of local restaurants, why don't you see where you want to go while I see if I can arrange our trip?" Castle suggested, handing Kate the leather bound folder provided by their host.

Castle got on his phone while Kate scanned the list of eateries. "We're all set," he announced after a few minutes. Did you pick the restaurant of your dreams?"

"This one," Kate told him pointing at a picture in the guide. "It's walking distance and they've got barbecue."

"You're on the edge of a bay full of seafood and you want barbecue?" Castle asked incredulously.

"Good as Bertha's cooking was, I've had enough from the sea for a while," Kate replied "I want some sauce on my face."

Castle wiggled his eyebrows. "Barbecue it is."

They walked hand in hand along the water to The Smoker. Being past the height of the tourist season, tables were plentiful and the staff attentive. They both opted for baby back ribs, with corn on the cob and cole slaw. Castle enjoyed watching Kate attack her food with determination. "You know you do that like you solve your cases," he observed.

"What do you mean?" Kate asked.

"You get your teeth in and you don't let go until you get what you want. It's one of the things I love about you."

"You're on a roll, Castle," Kate urged him. "Don't stop."

"I am?" Castle teased, rising from his chair and pretending to look at his seat. "Oh, I guess I was," he said, pretending to find a dinner roll he had palmed.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Cute, Castle."

"No really Kate, I love your determination, the way you go at things digging for clues until you find the answer, no matter what happens or who tries to stop you. It's what makes you extraordinary."

"You know you can be pretty amazing yourself Castle, when you're not driving me crazy."

"I thought I was even more amazing when I _was _driving you crazy," Castle quipped suggestively.

Kate reached under the table to stroke his thigh. "Castle, you may be right."


	45. Chapter 45

Summer Mix

Chapter 45

The van arrived bright and early to transport Kate and Castle to their kayak adventure. Their guide, George Lee, was aboard, making sure releases were signed.

"This reminds me of when I started shadowing you," Castle told Kate with a smile. "The department pretty much had me sign my life away."

"Well Castle, it was a good thing they did since you completely ignored my instructions and went after a guy with a gun on our very first case together," Kate retorted.

"Hey, I got you a confession didn't I?" Castle asked. "Besides the safety was on."

"Castle, I didn't know that and you scared me to death. I was worried about you," Kate confessed.

"I know," Castle soothed, pressing a quick kiss to her temple. "You were always trying to keep me from getting killed, even when you wanted to kill me yourself."

Kate laughed. "Well maybe wound you a bit, for discipline."

"Wow!" Castle exclaimed. "That might have been fun."

The ride to the national seashore was long but beautiful. It was partially occupied by instructions from George as to safe conduct in a kayak. George also informed them that they were there during insect season, during which it was not healthy for the ponies to be too close to the water. To make his point, he handed out samples of the repellant he considered most effective against the insects in the area, which after his experience on Coogan's island, Castle accepted gratefully. There was considerable wildlife to be spotted even before arriving at their destination. George pointed out terns, swallows, and bobwhites during the trip and a honking flock of Canada Geese flying overhead required no identification. As they approached the brackish marsh, George handed out safety gear, informing them that it must be worn at all times.

The kayaks were flat topped and stable, specially intended for use by novices and George double checked their gear before they took to the water. They were treated to a show of laughing gulls, egrets, and herons. Kate was especially charmed to spot a swan, and speculated as to where its mate might be.

George suddenly signaled them to be silent. A small band of ponies, a stallion, two mares and their foals, stood at a distance from the water. They had the patches of color that indicated pinto ancestry, shaggy manes, and the sturdiness springing from their long subjection to natural selection. George and the Castles had stopped paddling to quietly take in the site. Kate snapped pictures and Castle took video until the ponies moved off, heading inland.

"Castle," Kate whispered softly, taking his hand, "Thank you for this. They were beautiful." George pretended not to notice as the couple kissed.

As they paddled their way back to their landing, George identified more species of birds, including a colorful glossy ibis, as well as the varieties of plants native to the area. After shedding their protective gear, the Castles settled in for the trip back to the inn, with Kate snuggling into Castle's shoulder as they held hands.

Except for toiletries and clothing for the day, Castle and Kate had done what little packing was necessary the night before. Castle called a prearranged car service to take them to the airport and he texted their pilot to let him know that they were en route.

The pilot of the small Kingman plane was a cheerful man named Clem. His co-pilot, Thad, sported red hair and freckles and reminded Castle of Howdy Doody. The pre-flight check had already been performed and the luggage was loaded quickly. The Castles took their comfortable seats for the slightly over an hour it took for the flight to Teeterboro Airport. A limousine was waiting to meet them to take them back to the loft. They snuggled into the rich leather seat together for the very last moments of their journey.

It was early evening when Castle's key clicked in the door. Before he could finish putting down the luggage he carried, he was immediately met by Alexis who collided with him in a massive hug. She hugged Kate as well, with a little less force. Martha swept down the stairs to greet them as well. "Well I'm sure you two would like a little time to settle in before you tell us about your trip," she said in an effort to restrain the questions tumbling out of the mouth of her granddaughter.

"Actually, Martha," Kate explained. "We're starved. We haven't had anything since breakfast except for some snacks the pilot had stowed on the plane. I thought we'd raid the refrigerator."

"No need," Martha announced grandly, indicating an array of containers on the counter. "When Richard called to tell me you were on your way from the airport, I ordered barbecue. I thought that would be something you wouldn't have in the islands."

Castle caught Kate's eye and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. "Right you were, mother," Castle said, kissing Martha's cheek. "The perfect welcome home."

Alexis immediately set the table, laying out a huge stack of napkins. Kate was glad to see that Martha had ordered chicken and brisket, so the meal was not a repeat of the one she and Castle had the night before at The Smoker. Martha poured red wine. Castle quirked an eyebrow at Kate as they both noticed that it was her favorite. Somehow, even with a mouth full of chicken, Alexis managed to pepper Kate and her father with questions about the murder on the Island Dream, having gotten some details from Lanie. Kate answered most of them, carefully crediting Castle with figuring out how to get the fingerprints.

Martha tentatively asked about Coogan Trace. Castle described the island and the scavenger hunt. "Did Coogan have a woman with him on the island?" Martha asked, somewhat to Castle's surprise.

"Mother, I saw a housekeeper, and he didn't have a female companion with him at dinner, other than that I really don't know," Castle answered carefully.

"Well," Martha said, "maybe I'll drop him a line."

Castle had some disquiet with idea, but he let it pass. Coogan could take care of himself.

In the rarest of occurrences, Martha offered to clean up, giving Kate and Castle a chance to escape further interrogation. Kate grabbed their go bag to unpack the few things that would be needed for the night and morning, noting that most of the rest of what they brought back was destined for the washer or the dry cleaner.

Castle closed the doors of both his office and the bedroom, creating a quiet space for himself and Kate. "Bit unnerving coming back to the Castle clan, isn't it?" he asked.

Kate nodded. "Castle it is, but this is really my home now. I've always known that Martha and Alexis were included the deal and that's fine. They're part of you. I love you, so I love them. Martha is also the closest thing I have to a mother now and that's kind of nice. I am glad we had some time to ourselves though and I'm going to hold you to your promise that we'll have more, on a very regular basis.

"Mrs. Castle," Rick said pulling Kate close, "that is one promise that I can't wait to keep."

A/N Time to go on to part 3, starting tomorrow.


	46. Chapter 46

Summer Mix

Part Three

Chapter 46

Morning came too soon, the rays of the sun dancing over Kate's stubbornly closed eyelids. She turned, moaning and burying her face in Castle's chest. "Are you all right?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"Yeah," Kate answered, "I just can't believe I have to go back to the precinct this morning."

"You could call in sick," Castle suggested. "Tell Gates you picked up some dreaded tropical disease. How about malaria?"

Kate reluctantly shook her head. "It wouldn't be fair to Ryan and Espo. They've been carrying my load while we were gone. I need to get back. You don't have to, though. I can call you if there's a body."

"Negative," Castle told her. "Where you go, I go. Besides, Henry said that he was going to keep people on us until he's sure there's no more activity. If we separate, he'll need two teams."

"He said nothing happened while we were gone, right?" Kate asked, her brow wrinkling."

"Yeah, all quiet on the Russian front," Castle affirmed. "He's just being careful. It might not hurt for you to check in with Villante, though. He might be aware of activity Henry doesn't know about."

"From what we've seen, I doubt it, but I will," Kate told him.

The smell of coffee drifted in from the kitchen. "I bet that's from Alexis," Castle said, sniffing appreciatively. "Before we left, Mother was on her youthenizing smoothie kick again."

Wrapped in robes, the Castles made their way to the kitchen counter, where a fully dressed Alexis was hurriedly downing her mug. "You're off early," Castle commented.

'Yeah," Alexis answered, "the Ryans asked me if I could babysit for Sarah Grace. Jenny is going back to work part time. They had someone lined up but she had some sort of family emergency at the last minute, so I'm filling in. Jenny wants some time to give me last minute instructions."

"That's nice of you," Kate told her. "Tell Jenny I said hello."

"I will," Alexis agreed. After hurriedly shoving her mug in the dishwasher, she gave Castle a quick kiss on the cheek. "Bye, Dad. Bye, Kate."

"That's good, right?" Castle offered after Alexis left. "Maybe sometime we'll need her services."

"Castle, do you want to try, because if you do, I need to have my implant removed. Also it would be nice to know there aren't any more angry Russians after your butt."

"Point taken," Castle agreed. "The only person I want after my butt is you, but if we get the all clear from Villante, we should talk about it."

"We will," Kate assured him, "but right now how about if you do the fruit and I do the eggs and we get to the precinct?"

Castle quickly kissed her hair. "Sounds like a plan."

The murder board was empty and Ryan and Esposito were trying their best to look busy to Gates' inquiring eyes when Castle and Beckett arrived. "Hey, the travelers return!" Ryan announced. The occupants of the bullpen gathered round for hugs and slaps on the back as well as questions about the murder on the Island Dream. Clearly, Lanie had communicated at least some of the details to Esposito, who had passed them on.

Gates stalked out of her office. "Doesn't anyone here have any work to do?" she asked sternly, sending detectives scurrying back to their desks. "Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle, my office. Close the door," she ordered as they entered.

As soon as the door closed, Gates' mouth took an upward turn. "Mr. Castle," your daughter delivered your gift. "I don't know how you managed to find them, but thank you. My husband is building me a display case for my entire Gemini set."

Castle smilingly suppressed a shudder. "I'm glad you're pleased, Captain."

"So, how was your trip?" Gates asked, focusing on Beckett. "Are you ready to get back to work?"

"It was wonderful, sir," Beckett replied, "but yes, I am. I don't see a new case though."

"Until one comes in, I want you to look over the files from your absence. Make sure nothing was overlooked. The A.D.A. has been on a rampage and I want to make sure we don't give her any reason for complaint. You too, Mr. Castle. Much as I hate to admit it, you do have an excellent eye for details, no matter how crazy your theories to explain them."

Removing the smile from her face, Gates ushered them from her office. "Great," Castle complained, "paperwork."

"You never know, Castle, you might find …." Beckett was interrupted by the buzz of her phone indicating she had a text. Silently she showed Castle a message from Villante. It read only, "no further activity observed." In keeping with Gates' rules of propriety in the precinct, they simply squeezed each others' hands.

Beckett sat at her desk with Castle beside her as they examined files. "Beckett, this is interesting," Castle mused.

"What?" Beckett asked.

"This one, Shirley Brown. Her death was ascribed to natural causes. She was under a doctor's care when she died, so there was no autopsy. He signed the death certificate. But look at the picture. Here, use my magnification app. That faint redness around her mouth, doesn't that look like burns?"

"I don't know, Castle," Beckett answered. "Maybe she had a rash or something. She was eighty-six."

"Still, couldn't we show it to Lanie?" Castle asked. "This was only a couple of days ago. The body may not have been buried yet."

"All right Castle," Beckett agreed "Even if this is a wild goose chase, I want to say hello to her anyway. Let's go to the morgue."

"Hey, you two," Lanie greeted them. "Getting back to real life?"

"Maybe real death," Castle answered, handing her the file. "Do the red marks around her mouth look natural to you?"

Lanie read through the file, examined the photograph under her magnifying light, and used her computer to bring up the death certificate. "It says here," she said, obviously perturbed, "that she died of congestive heart disease. There's no mention of anything that would cause that. You may have caught something, writer boy - besides the woman of your dreams. Tell you what, I'll make a call to this doctor and see what he says. If he doesn't have a medical explanation for it, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Lanie," Beckett said, just as Castle's phone sounded with an Alexis 911.

Concern took Castle's eyes as he answered. "Alexis, what's wrong?"

Alexis' voice quavered. "Dad, I can't get Sarah Grace to stop crying. I don't want to call Jenny on her first day back, in case it's nothing. Detective Ryan isn't picking up. Could you come?"

Castle looked at Beckett who had heard Alexis's desperate plea. "Go! I'll go back to the precinct. If Ryan is there, I'll have him call Alexis."

When Beckett returned to the twelfth, she learned that Ryan and Esposito had been called to investigate a possible shooting in the subway. Shots had been reported, but no body had been found. The loss of signal underground accounted for Ryan's lack of response.

Castle wandered into the precinct a few hours later. Esposito and Ryan were still out, and Beckett was finishing with the last of her files. "How's Sarah Grace?" Beckett asked. "How's Alexis?"

"Sarah Grace should be fine," Castle reported. "She has an earache. She had all the signs, she was tugging at it. I told Alexis that was more than enough reason to call Jenny. Jenny said this isn't the first time the baby's had one. She called the pediatrician who called in a prescription and said to give the baby some Tylenol, which I did. I sent Alexis to pick up the prescription, so the baby also got that. Jenny only had a short day today anyway. By the time she got home I had Sarah Grace settled. Mother and daughter are doing well, but I'm not so sure about Alexis."

Beckett laughed."Sounds like Alexis knew who to call. I think I do too."

Beckett picked up her phone and Castle could hear her making an appointment. "What was that about?" he asked.

"Castle, I'm going to have my implant removed. I want make a baby with you.

Oblivious to any fallout from Gates, their lips met.


	47. Chapter 47

Summer Mix

Chapter 47

"What time is your appointment?" Castle asked as Kate began to stir against his shoulder.

Kate stretched sleepily. "Eleven. It should be really short. I figure I can go to the precinct first and come back afterward."

"_We_ can," Castle corrected. "I'm going with you."

"Castle, the doctor is just going to take something the size of a matchstick out of my arm. It's no big deal," Kate argued.

"I'm going," Castle insisted. "This is as important to me as it is to you. How long after you get it out can we try for a little Cosmo?"

"Castle, we are never going to have a baby named Cosmo, but when I had it put in I was told I could get pregnant immediately after it was removed. I can recheck that today."

"You want to practice?" Castle asked.

"I'm pretty sure we've been doing that," Kate replied with a smile. "But I'm all for striving for perfection."

"Well," Castle murmured, "I'm all for perfection too."

Visions of the future streamed through Castle's mind. He saw himself caressing Kate's gently curving belly as they cuddled together on the couch. He saw a huge Kate wolfing down a large strawberry shake to wash down a huge cheeseburger. Finally he saw Kate, ragged but smiling, with a tiny person in her arms. He drew her to him to kiss all the Kates, present and future. Her body was warm and yielding, fitting itself to his. They were encased in a promise, driving them ever closer. Becoming one was inevitable and even as the heat receded, they remained wrapped in each other, until the rude buzzing of the alarm forced a regretful parting.

A call from Lanie brought Castle and Beckett to the morgue. "What have you got, Lanie?" Beckett asked.

"I spoke to Garvin Willis, the doctor who signed Shirley Brown's death certificate," Lanie reported. "He hadn't really taken a good look at her because she was on her last legs. Her heart was very enlarged and she was expected to pass at any time. There was no reason to think anything was out of the ordinary. He didn't have anything in her records that would explain the marks around her mouth. I checked, the body is still at the funeral home. It's been embalmed already, which will make my job harder, but I'm having it brought here. I should have more after I get a look at her."

Beckett and Castle arrived at the precinct to the complaints of Ryan and Esposito about their investigation in the subway the day before. "There was no body because there was no shooting," Esposito explained grumpily. "We looked for hours. Turns out the guy who reported the shots is mentally ill. He has hallucinations."

Ryan continued the story, shaking his head in frustration. "They've had him at Bellevue three times. They just keep putting him back on the street, saying he's not a danger to himself or others, but he hasn't really gotten any help. We charged him with filing a false report so we could get him evaluated again. Maybe they'll do something this time."

"The system sucks sometimes," Beckett commiserated. "We may have another case though. Castle spotted something suspicious."

"What is it bro?" Esposito asked. "Mysterious assassins?"

"More like why would someone poison a dying old lady," Castle told him.

"Castle, we don't even know that she was poisoned," Beckett reminded him. "We'll have to wait to see what Lanie finds."

"Speaking of waiting and seeing," Castle said, tapping his watch.

"Yeah, guys, I have an appointment," Beckett told the other two detectives, "I'll be back this afternoon."

Beckett and Castle walked to the elevator hand in hand.

"I wonder what that's about," Esposito said.

Ryan shrugged, but looked after them with a knowing smile.

Castle paced the waiting room until Kate emerged, apparently no worse the wear except for a small bandage on her arm. "What did he say?" Castle asked.

"Same thing he told me before," Kate confirmed. "It can happen right away, so we better be sure."

Castle led her outside the door before pulling her in for a kiss. "Except for marrying you, I've never been more sure of anything in my life. So what now?"

"Well we haven't heard from Lanie and no body has dropped so, lunch?

"When the Ryans were trying to get pregnant Kevin kept feeding Jenny beans, ice cream. green salads and wild salmon. Beans might make us unpopular in the bullpen and I think we've both had enough fish for a while, so how about salads, and sundaes for dessert," Castle suggested.

Kate smiled and shook her head. "Castle, you're really getting into this. Okay, salads and sundaes it is."

Beckett was just licking the last of the fudge off her spoon when she got a text from Lanie. Her preliminary look at Shirley Brown's body showed that the woman had drunk something caustic. Not only were there burns around the mouth but in her mouth and on her tongue as well. Lanie was going to perform a full autopsy.

* * *

"You're sure it wasn't a suicide or an accident?" Beckett asked, surveying the white haired body on Lanie's table.

"Look here," Lanie said, pointing to marks just above Shirley's wrists.

"Those are bruises, as if some one grabbed her," Castle observed.

"Gold star for Castle." Lanie stopped and laughed. "That is, _Rick_ Castle. Yes, someone grabbed her and held her while something was forced into her mouth. I'll still need to have the stomach contents analyzed but it was probably a strong cleaner of some sort. It looks like it was a two person operation."

"Who would kill a woman who was dying anyway?" Beckett mused out loud.

"Girlfriend," Lanie answered. "I just cut them open. Solving the murder is your job."

Beckett arranged the murder board with a picture of Shirley Brown. "Widow, no children," Ryan reported, surreptitiously glancing at the bandage on Beckett's arm. "She wasn't poor. Apparently her husband left her a good chunk of money when he died. She has six nieces and nephews all of whom stand to inherit."

"Ah money, the primordial motive," Castle declared. "The question is, who couldn't wait?"

"Well," Beckett offered, "we'll just have to start talking to her heirs and find out."

Every spare inch of sixty-two year old Madeleine Quiller's small apartment was occupied by china dogs, ugly china dogs. "I think she and Gates may be sisters by another mister," Castle whispered to Beckett. "Ms. Quiller," Beckett began.

"Dellee," Madeleine interrupted, looking flirtatiously at Castle, "everyone calls me Dellee."

"All right Dellee," Beckett continued, "we're looking into a few details on the death of your aunt, Shirley Brown."

"Why?" Dellee asked. "She died of heart disease. Everyone knew she was dying. The funeral has been planned for weeks. I'm going to sing."

"Dellee launched into a terrifyingly off-key but enthusiastic rendition of _Wind Beneath My Wings_.

"That was very touching, Dellee," Castle told her as he detached his fingernails from his palms behind his back.

Beckett tried to get the interview back on track. "So Dellee, you must have been sticking close, to be ready."

"Actually no, I was at a collectors' show up in Boston," Dellee explained, making a sweeping gesture at her canine treasures. "I just got back yesterday. I figured I could get here by train in a few hours if need be."

"Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt your aunt?" Castle asked.

"Well actually," Dellee whispered conspiratorially, "yes. Aunt Shirley drove a Corvette Stingray but she gave it away when she got sick. Cousins Kirk and Dirk, they're twins, both wanted it, but Aunt Shirley didn't want it driven by someone with testosterone poisoning, so she gave it to cousin Jewel. Kirk and Dirk were really upset."

* * *

"You know, that reminds me," Castle said as they walked away from Dellee's apartment, "we should go car shopping. The Mercedes is gone and we can't put a baby seat in the Ferrari."

Kate shivered at the memory of the burning Mercedes. "Castle, I draw the line at minivans."

"Not my first choice either," Castle agreed, "hard to maneuver in midtown traffic. But we can get something with room for all the baby paraphernalia."

"Judging by all the stuff you bought for Bennie last Thanksgiving, I would assume that means half the stock of Babyland," Kate teased.

"Okay, so I went a little overboard, but he was so cute. But anyway, we'll need good cargo space and kid safe latches and..."

Kate put her fingers over his lips. "Castle, don't you think we should work on making the baby before we worry about all that?"

"Mrs. Castle," he answered, "I like the way you think."


	48. Chapter 48

Summer Mix

Chapter 48

At four A.M. Kate blearily reached for her buzzing cell phone. "All right, I'll be right there," she responded muzzily.

"What is it?" Castle asked. "Body?"

"No," Kate answered, scrubbing her hands over her face as she got out of bed. "That was the super in my building. Another pipe broke, like the one that ruined the wedding dress Matilda King gave me. I need to go get as much stuff out of the water as possible and assess the damage."

"I'll go with you," Castle told her. "At the least I can help you lift stuff. Are you insured?"

"Yeah," Kate replied, pulling on her rattiest sweatpants, "but some things just aren't replaceable. I hope none of my mother's things got hit."

"I hope so too," Castle said, comfortingly squeezing her shoulders.

There was no other way to describe it. The apartment was a wreck. There was an inch of water on the floor. The couch was soaked and moisture was rapidly creeping up the rest of the furniture. Thankfully, the possessions Kate had kept from Johanna Beckett were safe in the top of a closet and in Kate's desk. Kate and Castle worked to get as much off the floor as they could, after which Castle surveyed the mess, shaking his head. "We're going to have to get a water damage remediation team in here right away," he asserted, "otherwise, this floor is going to be irretrievably warped."

"I should have sold this place months ago," Kate confided. "I was living at the loft anyway. I just wasn't ready to let go."

"I can understand that," Castle comforted. "You were more secure having your own space. But no use crying over spilled water. This place is damp enough already. We can get a team in here to clean things up and then you can put it on the market."

Kate consulted her father's watch. "Six o'clock. We have time to get back, change, and get some coffee."

"And I'll make some calls about this place," Castle added.

Wetly uncomfortable, the Castles headed for a hot shower, stopping just long enough to start coffee brewing.

"Not my favorite way to start a day," Castle commented, turning the water up high enough to fill the enclosure with steam.

"Mine either," Kate agreed, "but maybe we can make it better."

"What did you have in mind?" Castle asked.

"Maybe," Kate suggested, tracing the path of the water down his chest with her finger, "we can get warm together."

"Huddle?" Castle asked.

"Cuddle," Kate replied, saucily standing on her bare toes and putting her arms around his neck. Warmed by love and hot water their lips met as their bodies pressed together under the steamy spray. There was no time for languorous loving, nor did they desire it. Chill was banished as shudders arose not of cold, but of passion, their own heat indistinguishable from the steam. Castle brought Kate tightly against him as they sought the wracking conclusion, where she clung even as the aftershocks receded.

Castle returned his phone to his pocket as Kate finished clearing their hurried breakfast. "You're all set," he announced. "The Water Emergency Squad will be at your place before noon and see the super to be let in. You just need to give your super a call so he knows."

Kate nodded and grabbed two travel cups, handing one to Castle. Skillfully threading her car through New York traffic, Kate pulled into a spot at the precinct just in time for her shift. The murder board had been updated with information from interviews by Ryan and Esposito as well as the Castles' conversation with Dellee. "Looks like we've got Dirk and Kirk," Castle noted.

Kirk and Dirk Quiller lived six flights up in the East Village. "If they wanted to garage a Corvette it would probably have cost them more than their rent," Castle speculated. "I wonder what they would have done if they got it?"

"That's if Dellee was telling the truth, Castle," Beckett reminded him. "She could have just been spinning a story for us. She seemed more than a little taken with you."

"Being adored by women, that's always been my cross to bear," Castle quipped. "Maybe we should hold hands the next time we have a female to interview."

"Maybe I'll just hold onto my gun," Beckett retorted, as they reached the door of the twins' apartment. The door was opened by a middle-aged man wearing Canal Street knockoffs of what he seemed to consider the hottest fashion. The smile he flashed at Beckett left her craving another shower, to wash off the smarm. He introduced himself as Dirk, ushered them in, though being clearly less enthusiastic about Castle's presence than Beckett's. Brother Kirk was sitting in front of a large screen television oogling the women decorating the Spike channel. Dirk motioned Beckett and Castle to adjacent chairs.

"How can we help you, Detective," Dirk asked as Kirk's eyes remained glued to the screen.

"We are tying up some loose ends about the death of your Aunt, Shirley Brown," Beckett explained.

"If they send you when someone dies of natural causes, I need to hang around an old age home," Dirk remarked, earning a black look from Castle. Beckett ignored the comment. "Mr. Quiller, either Mr. Quiller, did you see your aunt in the days prior to her death?"

"No," Dirk answered, "my brother and I were in Atlantic City. We just got back yesterday."

"Oh yeah," Castle responded only slightly faking enthusiasm, "did you stay at the Sapphire? Great show!"

"The Hungry Dog," Dirk answered. "We like to save the dough for the tables."

"How did you do?" Castle asked.

"Didn't really keep track," Kirk hedged. "I think we about broke even."

"Better than blowing your wad, right? Castle commented.

"Right," Kirk agreed without conviction.

"Well thank you for your time, Mr. Quiller, Mr. Quiller," Beckett said rising. "May I call you if I have any more questions?"

"Of course," Dirk agreed quickly. "Always glad to help out the NYPD."

"If they were in Atlantic City, they lost," Castle remarked as he and Beckett began their downward trek. "Losers always say they're breaking even."

"We'll check their alibi, Castle, but it's not that far a drive. They could have come back. Gamblers always need money. It would be a motive for trying to speed Shirley's death along. Especially if Dellee was right about the car and they were mad at Shirley anyway."

"The way Dirk was looking at you, I hope he did it. I'd like to see you put the cuffs on him just for the insult," Castle pouted.

"Castle, he makes my skin crawl, but that's not a crime. The way he looked at me wasn't much different from the way Dellee looked at you. If he and his brother killed Shirley, we'll get them. But dealing with creeps, it's just part of the job. You can't let it get to you."

"All right," Castle promised, cupping her cheek, "from now on the only one who gets to me is you."

"And," Kate added, putting her arms around his neck, "the only one who gets to me, is you.


	49. Chapter 49

Summer Mix

Chapter 49

Oblivious to the shabby in environment of the flights of steps from the Quiller Twins' apartment, Castle pulled Kate in for what he hoped would be a long slow kiss. It was not to be. Beckett grudgingly pulled away as her phone buzzed with a text from Lanie. "Castle," Beckett said regretfully, "we need to go to the morgue."

"I got the analysis of the stomach contents," Lanie explained, as Beckett and Castle entered her domain. "The poison Shirley got, it was an industrial strength cleaner, not something someone would have under their sink."

"So you think that it might be something the killers would use on their job? They might be involved with cleaning somehow?" Beckett asked.

"That's your department," Lanie replied. "I'm just telling you what I found."

"We need to find out who in that family would have access to something like that," Castle offered.

"You know, Castle," Beckett mused, "Dellee actually has the almost same name as my friend Maddy Queller. It might be an alternate spelling of the same name. I wonder if they're related. If they are, Maddy might be able to help us." Beckett pulled out her phone and tried to call. "Maddy's going to voice mail."

"You want to go see her?" Castle asked. "By this time of day she's probably at Q3."

* * *

"You were right, Becks," Maddy confirmed. "Oh, I probably shouldn't call you Becks anymore. It's Castle now."

"It's all right," Castle assured her. "On the job she is still Detective Beckett, less confusing."

"Okay then. I am related to the Quillers, Maddy continued. "Someone misspelled something on a document a couple of generations back. Actually, there was a reunion of the Quiller clan not too long ago and I met up with the whole family for a couple of days. What do you need to know?"

"Shirley Brown," Beckett responded, "who wanted her dead?"

"There are the slimy twins, Dirk and Kirk. Only Dirk talks. Have you met them yet?"

Beckett grimaced.

"We've had the displeasure," Castle declared.

"I can imagine," Maddy said. "Anyway, they're in a bad way financially. They wanted her car to sell for gambling debts and didn't get it, from what I heard. Then there was some hate from the Brown family too. Apparently when Shirley's husband died, they got aced out of any inheritance. They even took it to court, but they lost. There was also one of her nieces, Mindy, who was upset because Shirley wouldn't help pay for her wedding. She ended up getting married at some ratty drive up chapel in Vegas."

Beckett began to cough.

"You okay Becks?" Maddy asked. "Can I get you some water?"

"No, I'm fine now," Beckett reassured her. "Anyone in the family own or work for a cleaning service?"

Maddy shook her head. "Not that I know of, but I didn't get to know them all that well. Somebody might."

"Thanks Maddy, you've been really helpful," Beckett told her.

"Hey listen," Maddy confided, "Jennifer is debuting a brand new dish tonight, a variation on steak Diane, flamed table side. I can put you at my private table if you want to come back in a few hours."

"Sounds great!" Beckett agreed. "We'll see you later."

"So, back to the precinct?" Castle asked.

Beckett nodded. "We need to find someone in the Quiller family with access to that cleaner."

"Have you found anything?" Becket asked Castle as he stared at the computer screen

Castle shook his head in frustration. "I've tried cleaning services, janitorial services, even detailing and car washes. No connection to the Quillers or the Browns.

"I'm coming up empty too," Beckett confessed. "The alibi for the creep twins holds. Their credit cards show charges in Atlantic City during all the period when the murder could have taken place. There aren't any toll charges or gas charges for the trip back to New York before it, either. They may be slime bags, but I don't think they're murderers. Espo! Ryan! You got anything?" she called across the bullpen.

"Nothing," Esposito reported while Ryan shook his head.

"Maybe we should look at this with fresh eyes in the morning," Beckett suggested.

"Do you want to go back to the loft to change for dinner at Q3?" Castle asked.

"Yeah," Beckett replied, "but let's stop at my apartment on the way. I want to see how the cleanup is going."

"They did a good job, Castle," Kate noted. The Water Emergency Squad had been and gone, but the floor was clean and dry, as was the furniture. Even the water stains on the baseboard had been removed. The mural on the wall was intact as well.

"Yeah," Castle agreed. "They were the ones that fixed up Mother's studio after she flooded it putting on King Lear. They weren't as fast that time. I promised them a bonus if they could get this done today. Looks like they earned it. I figured, the sooner they finished, the sooner you can unload the place before anything else happens."

"Thanks," Beckett said, with a quick kiss. "I guess we go get ready for dinner."

To Castle's delight, Kate took the opportunity to wear a snug-fitting strapless dress. "Mmmm," Castle murmured, nibbling at her shoulder. "We could skip Q3 and just dine in."

"You can save that for dessert Castle. Right now I'm definitely in the mood to see something set on fire."

Castle gulped. "Then we'd better go."

* * *

Jennifer Wong's new offering lived up to expectations. She gently warmed her mixture of brandy, sherry, and secret ingredients before pouring it over the barely cooked, thinly pounded filets and setting them ablaze. Blue flame flared briefly, before she transferred the hot meat to pre-warmed plates for the Castles to enjoy.

The beef was almost fork tender and accompanied by vegetables fresh from an organic farm in the Catskills. Kate enjoyed it with her favorite red wine, knowing that her freedom to do so could end at any time. She found the thought both intimidating and exciting. "Did you want to order dessert?" Castle asked.

Kate stroked his lips with a fingertip. "I thought we were going to have that at home, Castle."

Castle hurriedly paid the check and hailed a cab.


	50. Chapter 50

Summer Mix

Chapter 50

"What's wrong?" Castle asked, awakened by Kate's frustrated sigh.

"I just can't get a handle on this case. The family members are our suspects, but it doesn't look like any of them had the means to do it or in some cases the opportunity."

"We could do what we've done before when you've hit a wall," Castle suggested.

"What?" Kate asked.

"Walk the crime scene. We haven't even been to Shirley Brown's apartment."

"You're right, Castle, we haven't," Kate agreed. "At least that's somewhere to start."

"It's really quiet here," Beckett observed as she and Castle took the elevator to Shirley's Brown's former abode. "It's as if a lot of the apartments are empty. When do you see that in Manhattan?"

"You don't," Castle answered. "I wonder what's going on."

"This place is in good shape," Castle commented, looking at Shirley's apartment. There's only a few days dust and the floor and the furniture has been polished. The condition Shirley was in, she never would have been able to do that herself."

Beckett continued his train of thought. "Maybe whoever was cleaning this place was our murderer. We need to recheck her financials and see if we can find out who."

"Maybe they left the murder weapon behind," Castle suggested. Beckett and Castle checked all the cupboards and under sinks for likely cleaning agents. There was nothing.

"We should check with her neighbors," Beckett said, after they had exhausted their search. "Sometimes people in a building share a service or they might at least notice who was coming or going."

No one in any adjacent apartment answered a knock, nor did anyone on the floor. The situation was the same on the other floors until finally they encountered an open door on an apartment where the occupant was in the process of moving. Beckett flashed her badge at a sweaty man loading boxes on to a dolly.

"Did you know Shirley Brown?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," the man answered, leaning against the door frame and swiping a forearm over his brow. "She was the last holdout."

"Holdout for what?" Castle asked.

"The building was sold," the man answered. "The new owner wants to remodel it and turn it into condos. We either had to buy our apartments, which almost none of us could afford, or find another place to live. She didn't want to do either. She said she was going to be dead soon anyway, so she was staying put. The new owner was very upset because he had to have everyone out by the end of this month or he would lose his financing for the project. He's actually pretty lucky that she did die. Now he can go ahead with his plans."

"Would you have contact information for him?" Beckett asked.

"No," the man replied. "I heard everything through the building manager, Hildy. She met with all of us and gave us the paperwork."

"Where would I find her?" Beckett inquired.

"She had an apartment on the first floor, and she had to leave too. But she worked for B & B Management," he added. "You can contact them."

"Thank you, Mr..."

"Hiller," the man put in at Beckett's pause.

"Mr Hiller, you've been very helpful."

"Just one more thing," Castle broke in, "do you know if Shirley had a cleaning service?"

"I don't know about Shirley, but I know that some of the seniors in the building used Komfy Kleen. She might have used them too. Now I really have to get back to work."

Beckett and Castle rode the elevator with Hiller and Castle helped by holding doors open as Hiller maneuvered his dolly to a truck.

Castle worked with his phone as he and Beckett returned to her car. "I don't find a listing for Komfy Kleen, he reported, but I found B & B management."

"Well we don't know if she actually used Komfy Kleen anyway," Beckett responded. "I'll have Esposito and Ryan check on that. I'll call them and we can go see B & B."

B & B Management was not in the best neighborhood. The office in the rundown building contained a receptionist at a computer behind a sliding glass panel and two harried looking women at computers in a room behind her, entering information on rental payments. Beckett showed her badge and asked about a manager named Hildy.

Beckett detected a nervous quaver in the receptionist's voice as she answered."She doesn't work for B & B anymore, the building she managed has been sold."

"Do you know where we can find her?" Beckett persisted.

The receptionist hit a few keys on her keyboard. "We only have a P.O. Box for her address, but I have a cell phone number for her," she reported. She wrote it down on a slip of paper and handed it to Beckett.

"Also," Beckett added, "would you have contact information for the new owner of the building?"

The receptionist hit a few more keys and looked at her screen, slightly puzzled. "I thought we did, but the file isn't here. Maybe it's because the new owner won't be using us to manage the building." Stains were starting to bloom under her arms. "I'm sorry."

"That's all right Ms. Gelfand," Castle soothed, looking at her nameplate. "Thanks for your help."

Beckett slid behind the wheel of her car as Castle took his usual shotgun. "Wow, she was nervous!" Castle exclaimed. "Who sweats over contact information?"

Beckett's eyes slitted as she entered Hildy's cell phone number into her look up app. "I don't know, Castle. The address in here for Hildy is her old address in Shirley's building. Let's go back to the precinct and see if we can track her down."

Beckett was sidetracked by a yell from Esposito as she and Castle got off the elevator at the 12th. "Yo, Komfy Kleen did clean Shirley's place and we found them. They filed for a listing as an LLC. The address on the paperwork is a mail drop, but the phone number works and I have a billing address."

"You and Ryan are with us," Beckett ordered. "These could be our killers."

The storefront that housed Komfy Kleen was not far from the offices of B & B. The door was locked, but a van pulled up as Esposito was gazing in the front window. Two well muscled men in work clothes approached. "What do you want?" one of them asked. Esposito started to open his jacket to show his badge and both men took off at a run. Ryan and Esposito ran after them while Beckett signaled Castle to join her in the car as she drove to head them off.

James and John Crouch, the owners and operators of Komfy Kleen were led into the precinct in handcuffs and unceremoniously put in the interrogation room across from Beckett and Castle. "We didn't do anything." John protested.

"Then why did you run?" Beckett asked.

The brothers stayed stubbornly silent.

"Running from the police is a suspicious act," Beckett informed them. "We are going to hold you and while we do, we are going to get a search warrant for Komfy Kleen."

The brothers paled. "I want a lawyer," James said.

"So do I," John added.

"Fine," Beckett said. "You can sit in holding until you get one."

"What happens now?" Castle asked.

"They sit in holding until legal aid scrounges up lawyers for them, probably until tomorrow," Beckett answered. "In the meantime I write up the paperwork for a search warrant, which we can only hope a judge will sign, since all we have on them is running away from us."

"We could call Markaway, but he's on a golf vacation," Castle considered. "He should be back tomorrow. We can tag him then."

"That might work," Kate agreed.

"The talk of apartments has got me thinking," Castle remarked. "How about if while you do the paperwork for the warrant, I call around and see if I can find a recommendation for a good realtor, while your apartment is in salable shape."

Kate nodded, already pulling out a necessary form. "Sure Castle, go ahead."

Castle was just finishing a call as Beckett finished her affidavit. He stood beside Beckett, his hand lightly on her shoulder. "My decorator for the Hampton house gave me someone she says is good," he reported. "He's going to meet us at your apartment in about two hours. What do you want to do until then?"

Shielded from view of the bull pen by her desk, Beckett ran a hand up Castle's thigh. "I'm sure we'll think of something."


	51. Chapter 51

Summer Mix

Chapter 51

Kate and Castle entered the loft carefully, peeking around for signs of Alexis or Martha. "We could have just gone straight to my apartment," Kate said.

"No," Castle insisted. "This is where you belong now, in our bed. And if someone comes of it, I want to know that he or she was conceived in our home." Taking her hand, he led the way to the bedroom, closing the door behind them. After the day of investigation, chasing down the Crouch brothers, and interrogation, Kate's clothes were limp and slightly askew and what little makeup she had applied that morning mostly worn off. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" Castle asked, stroking her cheek.

"Sure, Castle," she replied rolling her eyes. "The sweaty cop is every man's dream."

"Well, she's mine," he assured her, pulling her blouse aside so he could kiss her neck. Kate arched as his lips touched her skin, the arousal she had felt at the precinct coming back in more than full force. Framing his face with her hands, she brought his mouth to hers. They fell downward together, the bed creaking under the sudden assault. It seemed impossible to get close enough as desire overtook them. They struggled against the confines of clothing. Opening Kate's blouse, Castle stopped for a moment, gazing at the scar before covering it with his lips.

Plunging her fingers into his hair, Kate held Castle to her, moving against him as the urgency within her grew. "Now Castle," a low-pitched whisper rose from deep in her throat. She was wild, even as he came to her, desperately moving beneath him, rising to meet his motion, and clawing for completion. The mind shattering explosion of sensation from her core caught Castle, triggering an answering burst. They clung to each other as the after-bursts gradually faded and sanity slowly returned. "Castle," Kate murmured against his chest, "I think that might have been the one."

Loathe to move, but aware of the time, they took quick separate showers and grabbed fresh clothes. "I think we might have time for peanut butter and jelly." Castle suggested, consulting his watch. "We can catch something else later after we meet with the realtor.

"Sounds good," Kate said, brushing out freshly dried hair.

Castle made quick sandwiches while Kate finished getting ready and they grabbed a cab to her soon to be former apartment. Pete Riley was instantly likable. He extended a hand to both Kate and Castle and responded encouragingly as Kate gave him a tour of the apartment. "I'm sure you know this," he told her engagingly, "but location is pretty much everything and yours is excellent. I brought the documents to start the listing. If you'd like to sign them now, I can have it up tomorrow."

Kate smiled disarmingly. "Pete, as the daughter of two attorneys, I don't sign anything without getting it looked at. Can you leave the documents with me and let me get back to you?"

"Of course," Pete replied, handing Kate a manila envelope. He stuck out his hand again. "I hope to hear from you soon."

"Kate, I thought you were in a hurry to do this," Castle told her in puzzlement after Pete left.

"Castle, I am," Kate assured him. "I'm just going to ask my dad to take a look. I want to be sure nothing else goes wrong with this place."

"Okay, I get it," Castle responded. "So, are you ready for real food now?"

"Remy's?" Kate asked. Castle offered her his arm.

Kate was ravenous, consuming Remy's biggest burger, and a double order of fries along with her large strawberry shake. Castle grinned as he watched her.

"What are you grinning about, Castle?" Kate asked.

"I was just thinking, if this is how you're eating now, what are you going to be doing when you're eating for two? Maybe I should buy an interest in this place."

Kate considered as she chewed. "Only if they let you know the secret to making these shakes."

"I'll have my lawyer make inquiries," Castle declared, not sure if he was kidding. "Speaking of which, did you want to try to get those papers to your father tonight?"

"Let me see what he's up to," Kate proposed pulling her phone out of her pocket. "Dad's got a meeting tonight," she reported after a short conversation. "He said if we put the papers in the drop box at his office, he'd look at them first thing in the morning."

Castle ate the last of his single order of fries as Kate stuck a long spoon in the bottom of the mixing container to get the last of the ice cream from her shake. "I'm ready whenever you are," he said laying down bills to cover the check and a generous tip.

Kate licked the last of her pink creamy goodness, wiped her lips with a napkin and nodded. Jim Beckett's office was uptown and on the other side of the park. The cab ride was long, due to running into heavy traffic several times. Neither Castle nor Kate minded as she snuggled against him. When the cab pulled up in front of Jim Beckett's office, Castle paid the driver, but handed him an extra bill, asking him to wait. Kate knew exactly where the drop box was and they were soon headed back downtown. Traffic had eased, making their progress faster than it had been on the uptown trip. As was common, although technically against the rules for cabbies, the driver was listening to music through earphones and was unlikely to overhear conversation in the back seat.

"Unless your father says otherwise, I have a good feeling about Pete," Castle remarked, as he smoothed Kate's hair from her temple.

"I have a good feeling about everything today, Castle," Kate confided. "I think we probably caught our killers, although we don't have a motive yet. We've probably got a start on selling the apartment and then there was..."

"Then there was what?" Castle asked.

"It's just... Castle, you know I always want you, right?"

"Nice to know," Castle replied, "but I sense a but."

"It's just that tonight, it was different. I don't remember ever feeling quite that turned on, except maybe when I was a teenager and maybe not even then. I think an atom bomb could have gone off and I wouldn't have been able to stop. And at the end, wow!"

"That's why you think we made a baby?" Castle asked.

Kate nodded.

Castle gathered her into his arms, kissing the last of the sweetness from her lips. "Much as I enjoy the trying, I hope you're right."


	52. Chapter 52

Summer Mix

Chapter 52

From the Journal of James Beckett

Dear Johanna,

I haven't written in a while, mostly because there wasn't too much to talk about, with the kids on their honeymoon. I was working of course, but it's just been a continuation of the class action suit I've been working on and mostly massive amounts of paperwork. Katie and Rick have been back for a few days. They got back later than planned because the schooner they were on had to change course to avoid the worst of a tropical storm. Alexis called to tell me what happened, ostensibly so that I wouldn't worry. I think she really called so that I could keep her from worrying. She knows more about what happened to her father than I do, although apparently nothing like the complete story. She still worries about him a lot. That's something with which I sympathize. I never really stop worrying about Katie. Apparently she and Rick made the best of their delay, stopping in at Chincoteaugue to see the wild ponies. You know Katie's wanted to do that since she was eleven. She was very pleased to have finally succeeded. The change in schedule did mean that Katie had to go right back to work. Somehow Rick uncovered some unnoticed evidence in a death that had been ascribed to natural causes, so they've been working on a murder.

I saw them today for the first time since they've been back. Katie called last night asking if I'd look at some paperwork to list her apartment for sale. Now that she and Rick have finally tied the knot, she's willing to let it go. There have also been some horrendous problems with the water pipes in the building, that she wants no further part of. I couldn't help her last night because I had a meeting. I've really felt the need for those lately. Between what Katie went through after Rick's kidnapping and the endlessness of the suit I'm working on, the support is really helpful. I haven't slipped, but I feel that I could at any time, so I'm doing several meetings a week.

Katie and Rick and I had lunch today. I pointed out a couple of things in the paperwork that she needed to think about. One was that it is an exclusive to a realtor, Pete Riley. The down side of that is that she may get fewer people in to see the property. The upside is that he would probably work harder because he'd stand to make more money. She'll have to decide how she feels about that. The other thing is that he was proposing the exclusive for a year. That's a very long time to tie herself to one realtor, especially since she wants to sell ASAP. I suggested six months or even three. From what I've been able to discover, apartments in Manhattan, especially in her neighborhood, have been selling very quickly, so it may not even be an issue. But you know me. I like to keep all my bases covered.

The kids had something more important to discuss. Katie says she wants to have a baby. She's already taken steps, other than the obvious ones, to make that happen. I don't know how good an idea that is. I do want grandchildren. I suspect any child of Katie's and Rick's would be both beautiful and impossible, although that might not at all be the case. Alexis is certainly beautiful. She takes after her grandmother. I'm told she also takes after her mother, whom I've never met. Being brought up by Rick, one might expect her to be a brat, which occasionally she is. But most of the time she is a lovely young woman, with an overblown sense of responsibility and incredible love for her family. Our grandchild could be perfect. Despite his childish persona, I really have few doubts about Rick's child rearing skills. Not only did Alexis turn out well, but from what I have seen and heard, he has always seemed to do really well with children. He genuinely loves them. But our Katie has always been so self-contained. It's not that she doesn't care deeply for other people. I know that she does, but she is not very demonstrative. She's not really a cuddler. She has never really wanted to babysit or even play with babies. I think motherhood, at least the first few years of it, could be difficult for her.

I called Martha, and she was encouraging on the subject. She told me that when Rick and Katie took care of a baby belonging to a kidnapping victim, right before last Thanksgiving, Katie did very well. She thinks Katie will be a good mother.

That brings me to another subject: Martha. Surely you know that I will love you forever, but every so often it can be nice to have some company. As you remember, Martha and I really didn't get on well at first. We have very different views of the world and our personalities are pretty much polar opposites. Over the last year or so and especially during the crises that have hit both our children, we have been able to turn to each other for strength and support. She's also someone with whom I can actually have a little fun. She finally gave in and went to a ball game with me. I think she actually enjoyed herself. She got me to go to the theater and I didn't fall asleep, at least I don't think I did. I've even observed a couple of her acting classes. She's really very good.

We don't agree on restaurants. As you know, I like my food straightforward and simple. Of course as much as possible I stay away from places with fancy wine lists. Martha wants everything to be grand. She is very adventurous, always wanting to try the new most trendy cuisine. She loves her wine too and there's no reason she shouldn't. So we have to compromise a lot. She handles the alcohol angle without a word, the whole Castle family does, but the rest of the dining options require discussion, often a lot of discussion. Nevertheless, I enjoy taking her out. So far there's nothing romantic about it. There may never be. You are my love and I may never have another. Now that the kids are married, especially if they are successful in starting a family, I'll be spending more and more time in Martha's company. Maybe it's silly, but somehow I feel that I need your blessing. I hope that I have it.

Forever love,

JB


	53. Chapter 53

Summer Mix

Chapter 53

"Hey," Ryan called across the bullpen as Castle and Beckett were returning from lunch, "the Crouch brothers have lawyers and they're willing take a lesser charge in exchange for telling who put them up to killing Shirley Brown."

"Did Gates clear that with the A.D.A.?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah," Ryan confirmed."They're going to knock it down to second degree, if what they tell us results in an arrest. The Crouches are in the box now."

With Ryan, Esposito and Captain Gates watching from observation, Beckett and Castle sat across the table from Crouch brothers. A search of their business that morning had turned up a cleaner that proved to be a match for the chemicals found in Shirley Brown's body. The well muscled pair now looked more frightened than imposing.

"So," Beckett began, "why did you kill Shirley Brown?"

James and John looked at each other as if silently appointing James the spokesman. "It was Theo Markos," James said. "He bought the building. He's bought lots of buildings. The management company, B & B, they pretty much work for him now. They didn't used to. They were pretty nice. They helped us line up jobs. But not anymore. From the way they started acting, Markos is pulling their strings hard and he's one scary dude. When he bought Shirley Brown's building, we lost all our business in the place. We were going under, but he told us that if we could get rid of Shirley, we could have the contract to clean the new building and two of his other buildings. Hell, we tried to convince the old lady. She was dying anyway. She had money. She could have spent her last time in comfort in some luxury hotel. She just wouldn't budge, so we had to take her out of the picture."

"Meaning you killed her?" Beckett confirmed.

James stared down at the table. "Yeah, we killed her. It was the only way we could survive."

"This Theo Markos," Beckett continued, "where do we find him?"

"I don't know," James replied. "He got in touch with us. He called our shop, but his number was blocked. We were just supposed to leave a message with B & B saying the job was done. They were supposed to pass it on."

"Have you actually ever seen Theo Markos?" Castle asked.

"No," James answered, "we just left word at B & B."

"Maybe we did," John interrupted. "We were at B & B a couple of weeks ago and there was this guy leaving as we came in. Briny Gelfand, the receptionist, she was all upset. Sweat was practically dripping off her. The guy we saw might have been Markos."

"Can you describe him?" Beckett asked.

"I think so," John answered. "He was tall, his hair was very dark, it looked black, but he had very light skin. I remember thinking it was kind of strange."

"We're gonna put you with a sketch artist," Beckett told him. "If we can get this guy, you may have caught yourselves a break."

When Beckett and Castle left interrogation, Ryan and Esposito were no longer on the other side of the mirror, having been sent by Gates to gather information on Theo Markos. "Detective Beckett," Gates instructed, "Ryan and Esposito are pulling financials on this Theo Markos, assuming he actually exists. I want you and Mr. Castle to find any other lead you can."

"Yes sir," Beckett replied.

"Beckett," Castle asked, "why would a guy with dark hair have pale skin? Oooh! Maybe he's a vampire. He's building up property so that he can take over the city and stage a vampire rebellion."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Castle, B&B is only open in the daytime. If the Crouch brothers saw him coming out of there, he couldn't be a vampire. He couldn't even have porphyria like the other suspect you thought was a vampire. We can ask Lanie though. If there is some other medical condition that would do that, it might give us some kind of a lead. There's something I wanted to talk to her about anyway."

* * *

"Well," Lanie explained, as she sat with Beckett and Castle at a table outside the autopsy room, "the man just might have light skin and dark hair. The combination is not unknown. You see it in what are referred to as the Black Irish, among others. Came from Spanish ships sailing into the coast of Ireland."

"The guy's name is Theo Markos," Castle protested, "that's more like Greek than Irish."

Lanie fixed him with a look that produced immediate silence. "It is possible that the man has some form of anemia. He might be taking iron or folic acid, which he could get over the counter at any drugstore or supermarket, but if you get lucky, he might be taking erythropoietin. That requires a prescription. He might even need blood transfusions if he has a genetic disease like thalassemia."

"That is kind of like a vampire," Castle quipped, earning a look from both Lanie and Beckett.

"Just sayin'." he responded.

"Girl, you got something else on your mind?" Lanie asked.

"Um, I was just wondering how long after, um, can you tell if?" Kate stuttered.

"Come in here and we'll talk," Lanie urged, pulling Kate into the next room away from Castle.

"Now what exactly are we talking about?" Lanie asked, when she had Kate alone.

"I told you I had my implant removed," Kate started.

Lanie nodded.

"Well yesterday we, and I don't know how to explain it but I..."

"You were really horny, I mean more than is usual, even for you these days?" Lanie finished.

Kate nodded in relief.

"You were probably ovulating," Lanie told her. "So you want know how soon you can tell if you got pregnant?"

Kate nodded again.

Well if you want to pee on a stick, you have to miss a period, but a blood test can tell a couple of days after ovulation, if you really were ovulating. You come see me the day after tomorrow, I'll draw you and we'll find out."

Castle was pretty sure what Kate and Lanie had been talking about, but from the look on Kate's face, he didn't want to push. "So now what?" Castle asked as they left the morgue.

"If the sketch of Theo Markos is done, we could try circulating it to pharmacies and clinics. They can't tell us anything medical without a court order but they could tell us if they've seen him. It's a long shot. We don't even know where he'd go. Probably the best thing would be to go sweat Briny Gelfand at B & B."

"That does not appear to be difficult," Castle commented.

"We'll get the sketch and see what happens when she sees it," Beckett replied.

The Crouch brothers were having difficulty agreeing on details and the sketch was going very slowly. "Kate," Castle asked while they waited, "have you decided what you want to do about Pete Riley and your apartment?"

"I'm going to tell Pete I'll give him a three month exclusive," Kate answered. "That way he should work his ass off to get it done, and if he can't, we can look for someone else."

"That makes sense with what your father said," Castle agreed. "If you want, I can call him and ask him to change the paperwork. If he agrees, we can meet him somewhere after we see Briny Gelfand."

"Okay Castle, I want to check with Ryan and Espo and see what they have. Maybe there's something else I can find while we're waiting for the brilliance brothers to come up with a face."

* * *

"With Ryan, Espo, and me coming up empty, we really need to get something out of Briny," Beckett told Castle as they approached the entrance of B & B. A sheen appeared on Briny's face even before Beckett got to the glass shielding Briny from the world. "Ms. Gelfand, you weren't straight with us. We know you work for this guy. Who is he and where do we find him?" Beckett stuck the picture against the glass in front of Briny's face.

Briny began to cry. "Please, I could lose my job, or worse. That guy is dangerous. People who get in his way, like Shirley Brown, things happen to them."

"An obstruction of justice charge is a bad thing too," Beckett informed her, "and that's what will happen to you if you don't start cooperating with us. Now, tell us how to find him and we'll keep him away from you."

"Honestly, I don't know," Briny answered, tears spilling from her eyes. "All we have is a routing number and an account number so we can transfer the rent payments from his buildings. Sometimes he comes here to make sure that no one is skimming. He's paranoid about that. But I never know when he'll show up or where he goes after."

Castle handed Briny his handkerchief. "It'll be all right," he soothed.

"C'mon Castle," Beckett called as she headed for the door. "I'll call Ryan and have him trace that account and set up surveillance here in case Markos shows up. Let's go sell an apartment."

Castle smiled. "Right behind you."


	54. Chapter 54

A/N It appears that I stepped in it a bit talking about pregnancy testing. What I had Lanie say both in the last chapter and what Kate relates in this one, is as accurate as my research into current developments could make it. That takes into account that Lanie might have access to testing not common in clinical use and that Kate is coming off an implant and her timing might not be reliable. That said, this is a story and meant to be taken as such, not a source of medical information.

Summer Mix

Chapter 54

"You were tossing around," Castle told Kate, brushing errant strands of hair from her face. "Something bothering you?"

"Theo Markos," Kate answered. "The man's like smoke."

"That does make him like a vampire," Castle teased.

"Castle!" Kate responded sharply. "I'm serious,"

"Sorry," Castle apologized. "We'll have a warrant for the bank this morning. We may be able to track him down with that."

"Yeah, maybe," Kate replied.

"I get the feeling that something else is going on here. Maybe about what you were discussing with Lanie?" Castle suggested.

"She said she could take my blood to see if I'm pregnant tomorrow, but there are a lot of false negatives that early and she might have to test again," Kate answered.

"You could just wait until she could be sure," Castle offered. "How long would that be?"

"At least a week," Kate replied. "I don't think I can last that long."

Castle slipped a hand beneath the sheet. "We can always work on a back up plan."

Kate ran a finger down the roughness on his jaw. "We could at that."

Loving came slowly, as Kate's muscles relaxed under Castle's calming hands. As his lips replaced his hands, warmth began to infuse her skin. She reached for him, feeling his skin under her palms. He pulled her against him as they explored each other, his readiness apparent against her body, but he continued to touch and taste, encouraging her arousal to match his own. Finally taking the lead, her lips took his as she guided him to her. She was above him, eyes closed as she moved, even as he reached out to increase her pleasure. The end came as a spring, bubbling at first, before becoming a flow and finally a flood. Kate lay against Castle, resting in the sound of his heart.

Castle made decaf as Kate finished preparing for the day, hoping to preserve her calmer state of mind and in case she was actually pregnant, wean her away from caffeine. Of course that meant keeping the jolt from his own bloodstream, but he could always get a jump start at the precinct. He compensated with fluffy pancakes topped with spiced apples.

Kate sniffed appreciatively as she approached the kitchen. "Castle, do you remember the first time you made me pancakes?"

"Of course," Castle replied. "I was sleeping on your couch while a serial killer dumped a body at your front door. You threatened to shoot me if I came into your bedroom but you were jealous of my working on theory with Jordan Shaw."

"I wouldn't have shot you," Kate told him, "well maybe winged you a little bit. I really was put off by your attention to Jordan."

"I know," Castle said, "but you were the one I wanted to spend the night with. Obviously I still do, but it's nice that I'm not on the couch anymore."

Kate savored the cinnamon on her tongue. "Obviously, I agree."

"Why were you thinking about Jordan?" Castle asked.

"Because she's managed, with a lot of help from her husband, to have her career and be a mother. Even though I don't have to do the traveling she does, she's the closest person I know to a role model. It can work, right Castle?"

"Kate," Castle reassured her, taking her in his arms, "if it does happen, we'll be great."

* * *

"We got lucky!" Ryan announced as Beckett and Castle came off the elevator at the precinct. "Markos was spotted by a clerk at a pharmacy, not far from Shirley Brown's apartment. We've started a canvass in the area."

"How about the bank?" Beckett asked. "Still waiting on the warrant," Ryan replied.

"Who's the judge?" Castle asked.

"Markaway," Ryan replied.

"Mmmm," he has a golf tournament this morning, first one on a redone course," Castle reported. "You'd better try someone else. You know," he mused, turning to Beckett, "we should call Pete Riley."

"We gave him the papers last night, Castle," Beckett protested.

"Not about your apartment," Castle explained, "A realtor in this neck of the woods might know who's been buying up buildings, especially if a bunch of condos would be going on the market."

"You have a point, Castle," Beckett agreed, pulling out her phone. Beckett hung up with a smile. "Good thought, Castle. Apparently the buy up of buildings around town has been ticking a lot of the realtors off, because they haven't been getting a piece. They won't get anything off any of the condos either. Pete's never heard of Theo Markos, but he says the buildings are being bought by the Black Hole Corporation. It gives us another lead."

Beckett bent over her computer while Castle employed his phone. "Black Hole seems an apt name," Castle noted. "It seems to suck in everything around it in. Ten buildings in the same neighborhood in the last two years."

"Seen any names yet?" Beckett asked.

"It's privately held," Castle answered, "it looks like a family thing, the Lefco family. Huh!"

"What Castle?" Beckett asked.

"Lefco, it's like the Ancient Greek for white. The Crouches said Markos has that weird white skin. That can't be a coincidence."

"Castle," Beckett argued, "it could be a coincidence. But it is interesting. I've got the public records on Black Hole. One of the officers is listed as Theo Markos."

"Yo," Esposito yelled, "we've got the owner of the account B & B was sending money to. It's the Black Hole Corporation."

Castle and Beckett looked at each other. "We got him!" Castle exclaimed. "Beckett have you got an address?"

Beckett nodded. "Corporate headquarters are listed. They're on Park Avenue South, near seventeenth."

Castle started listing the information on the murder board. Ryan came to stand behind him. "That's the same general area as the pharmacy where the clerk saw Markos," he pointed out.

"We're paying Black Hole a visit," Beckett announced.

The raven haired woman behind the richly carved desk in reception had startlingly white skin. "How may I help you, Detective Beckett?" she asked when Kate showed her badge.

"We're looking for one of your corporate officers, Theo Markos," Beckett replied. "Is he here?"

"Theo is out of the country," the woman replied, looking up and to the left. "What is this concerning?'

Beckett ignored the question. "When did he leave?"

"Yesterday," the woman answered. "He's dealing with our overseas investments. We don't expect him back for at least a month."

"Do you have contact information for him?" Beckett asked.

"I'm sorry," the woman replied. "While he's traveling he's out of touch unless he calls us. He prefers it that way."

"If he gets in touch," Beckett told her, handing her a card, "please have him contact me."

"I'll relay your message, Detective," the woman agreed, rubbing the side of her nose.

"Did you see that?" Castle asked as they left. "Two tells for lying."

"Yeah," Beckett replied. "We'll check flights out, but I doubt that Markos went anywhere. I'm putting this place under surveillance." Beckett spoke orders into her phone.

"What do you want to do once the surveillance is set up?" Castle asked.

"I think," Kate told him thoughtfully, "I want to find a Greek restaurant."

Castle grinned. "I know just the place."


	55. Chapter 55

Summer Mix

Chapter 55

"Kate, what the hell?" Castle exclaimed as his eyes opened to the sight of his wife getting dressed.

"I just wanted to catch Lanie before she starts her shift," Kate explained.

"Alone?" Castle asked. "I thought we were in this together."

"Of course we are, Castle, but she's just going to take some blood, I probably won't be there more than five minutes. I didn't want to get you up for that."

"Wow, here we go again!" Castle exclaimed. "Whenever you're really scared you pull this shell over yourself like a hermit crab. You're not a hermit Kate. There are two of us. I'm right here and I will be whatever happens. Sooner or later you're going to have to get used to that."

"I'm sorry Castle," Kate apologized, moving to the bed to give him a kiss. "Old habits. How about if I make some coffee while you get ready to go?"

"That would be good," Castle agreed, mollified. "We should probably pick up a bear claw for Lanie too. She'll be a lot less likely to leave a mark."

Kate smiled and came back to lightly kiss him again. "You're right."

Lanie had not yet appeared and the morgue was quiet when the Castles arrived. They sipped coffee from travel mugs and waited as Kate grasped Castle's hand. "The Castles bright and early," Lanie announced as she came through the door. Castle handed her the pastry. "Good move, writer man," she told him. "I just need to set up a couple of things. I don't usually run tests on the living." Lanie pulled the necessary items out of a drawer and put on her gloves. "Sit!" she ordered Kate, indicating a seat next to a table, where Kate could rest her arm. "Are you ready for this, girl?" she asked. Kate squeezed Castle's hand and nodded. Lanie was quick and efficient, taping a ball of cotton to the drop remaining on the inside of Kate's elbow, almost before Kate realized anything had happened.

"When will you know something?" Kate asked.

"This is going to take a while," Lanie explained, "and I do have my real job to do, so I'll call you. Now get out of here, both of you!"

"Yes ma'am," Castle responded meekly.

"Thanks, Lanie," Kate called over her shoulder.

"Castle, I don't know how I'm going to get through the day," Kate confessed.

"Maybe there's been a Markos sighting. Let's check with the boys," Castle suggested.

* * *

Esposito and Ryan were just arriving at the murder board. "We checked all the flights out," Ryan reported, "no Theo Markos."

"I also checked with my buddy at TSA to look at the surveillance at the New York Airports," Esposito added. "No one looking like Markos. They'll be watching for him if he shows up."

"How about the canvass of the area?" Beckett asked.

"A couple of people were pretty sure they'd seen him, but no one had an address," Esposito answered.

"We might have enough for a warrant to see if he actually had a prescription from that pharmacy where the clerk saw him," Beckett said. "If he did, they should have an address."

"Markaway?" Castle asked.

Kate nodded. "I'll fill out the paperwork and we can go see him."

* * *

On the way to his court room, Judge Markaway was still riding the high of cleaning up at his golf tournament. "And how are the newlyweds?" he greeted the Castles jocularly. "Recovered from your honeymoon?"

"Why would we want to?" Castle asked.

"Actually sir, we're trying to hunt down a murder suspect," Kate explained, and outlined the situation.

"Okay," Markaway told her, perusing the paperwork, "clearly you still don't have grounds to break the medical privacy laws. You can find out if the pharmacy has an address on this guy, but only that."

"I understand." Kate replied

"Fine," Markaway agreed, using Castle's back to sign the paperwork. "Go get him."

The address listed by the drugstore for Theo Markos was a corporate apartment in a Black Hole building. A squad, led by Kate Beckett descended upon the apartment armed with both a search warrant and an arrest warrant. Markos offered no resistance, neither did he speak other than to request his attorney, whom he was given a chance to call when they arrived at the precinct. Ryan and Esposito conducted a search of the apartment, looking for anything that might tie him to the Crouch brothers.

With Markos in holding, Beckett, Castle, Ryan, and Esposito clustered around the murder board. "Did you guys find anything at all at Markos' place that connects him to Shirley Brown's murder?" Beckett asked.

"Nothing," Esposito reported with disgust. "All that was there were letters expressing the love of various members of the Lefco family. There were no business papers, not even an address book."

"I checked his phone and all his phone records too," Ryan continued. "There's no evidence that he ever talked to them."

"Then we have a problem," Beckett declared. "Markos' lawyer is insisting that we have nothing on him except the word of confessed murderers, which is not a case without supporting evidence. He plans to file for immediate dismissal if we charge him. What's more, the A.D.A. agrees that we don't have enough to make a case and is really pissed because the Crouches get their deal because we made an arrest. We need to find something else. That's going to mean getting a warrant for all the records of Black Hole: phone, financial, everything, and going over them with a fine tooth comb for anything that ties Markos to the Crouch brothers. There's also a good chance that records on site at Black Hole may have already been destroyed. They've certainly had the time. Finding the information another way could be a huge job. It may be a while before any of us see daylight again."

Ryan and Esposito moved back toward their desks with Ryan pulling out his phone to give Jenny the bad news. "Hey," Castle told Beckett, "I'm going to have dinner brought in for the whole gang tonight. They're going to need it. You in the mood for anything special?"

"Yeah," Beckett answered, "Markos' head on a plate."

Castle raised an eyebrow.

Beckett shook her head. "Sorry Castle, just use that wonderful imagination of yours. I'm sure whatever you get will be appreciated."

Castle walked away to make a call. "At least," he muttered under his breath, "she'll have something to think about besides the blood test."


	56. Chapter 56

Summer Mix

Chapter 56

At three A.M., no longer able to focus on unyielding computer screens, Kate and Castle returned to the loft and wearily climbed into bed. Images whirled in Castle's mind, as Kate slept in his arms. Black Hole had created a maze of which a minotaur would be proud. Each document created a false trail to another wall. Somewhere there had to be something that would lead somewhere. Puzzles have solutions. He just had to find the right trail, the right document. At six, he jolted, his eyes flying open. "Castle," Kate murmured sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"Kate," Castle asked, "would you say that Markos is a loveable person?"

"What?" Kate responded, still half asleep. "No Castle, he scares people to death."

"Exactly!" Castle exclaimed. "Then why would the only thing in his apartment be letters of love from the Lefco family? There's something else in those letters. We need to go back to the precinct."

* * *

Castle ran for banker's box on Esposito's now unoccupied desk, where the letters were stored. "Beckett, there's a code or something here somewhere, I know it."

"All right Castle, slow down. Let's split them up and have a look," Beckett suggested.

Castle held one of the letters between his thumb and forefinger, rubbing the back seemingly blank surface. "Beckett, it feels like there's something here."

"Invisible ink!" the exclaimed simultaneously.

"You have your black light?" Castle asked.

"In my desk," Beckett replied, moving across the bullpen. As she retrieved her light, Castle brought the box to the conference room, where they could examine the letters in darkness. They stared at what the ultra-violet light revealed on the backside of the letters. Castle pointed excitedly. "Look! Names, dates, amounts, these are Markos' records!"

"We just have to find something about the Crouches," Beckett responded. Carefully she illuminated each line, with Castle looking over her shoulder.

"That's it!" Castle exclaimed as they reached the flip side of the tenth letter. "Crouches completed task. Brown apartment clear. Prepare contract."

As their lips met over the stack of papers, Beckett's phone signaled a text alert. "Castle, it's Lanie. She says she wants to talk to us."

"Lanie, what?" Kate asked as she and Castle pushed through the door of the morgue.

"Now look you two, I don't want you to get too excited," Lanie began. "The test is positive, but a weak positive. We can test again in a few days to be sure, or you can have your regular doctor do it, but Kate, take care of yourself. You might as well get used to decaf and giving up that red wine you love so much. Castle, try and keep her out of the line of fire. Bullets are not good for babies."

The Castles returned to the precinct arms around each other. The lights were on in Gates' office. "We should update the captain," Beckett said.

"About the baby?" Castle asked.

"About the case, Castle," Beckett answered with amusement. "We broke it open, remember. Gates needs to call the A.D.A. and tell her she should charge Markos."

"Shouldn't you call Ryan and Espo and tell them they can sleep in?" Castle asked.

"Castle," Beckett laughed, "if I call them, won't I wake them up?"

"Point taken," Castle agreed, "but I'm willing to bet at least Jenny is up anyway. You know,"

"Baby," they said together.

After receiving their information on the case, Gates instructed Beckett and Castle to get some rest. "You want to go back to the loft and sleep for a while?" Castle asked Kate as they walked toward her desk.

"Back to the loft," Kate agreed, reaching downward. "I don't know about sleep."

"Oh," Cattle replied, racing for the elevator.

Beckett pulled Castle through the door of the loft, through his office to the bed left unmade in the early rush for evidence and pushed back the bedding. "For future reference," Castle asked, as Kate tore at the buttons on his shirt, "are you turned on by breaking the case or by the news from Lanie."

"Yes," Kate answered gleefully," as she brought her lips to his. Sheets and blankets were completely exiled to the floor as the mattress creaked under the impact of collision. Morning sun streaming through the window warmed their skins, but it was lost in their own heat. As with the case, they were of a single thought, moving ever faster grasping for their shared goal. As Kate could feel her body responding, the waves of sensation spreading through her, her movement was no longer under her control. Her mouth met Castle's deeply and completely as he swallowed her cry of triumph, mingling it with his own release. Exhaustion finally claimed them and entangled, they slept.

Kate was awakened by the rumbling in her stomach and the day's brightest light filling the room. Her attempt to quietly detach herself from Castle's embrace was unsuccessful. "Good morning," he murmured.

"More like good afternoon," she informed him, just as her stomach rumbled again.

"We need to feed you," Castle said. "I have a feeling that if your nutrition is less than perfect we're both going to answer to Lanie."

"I think you're right," Kate agreed with a smile, "and I am hungry., but we also need to get back to the precinct and finish going through all of Markos' love letters."

"I can phone in an order for something," Castle proposed. "We can get cleaned up and pick it up on our way back to the precinct. What do you want?"

"Pizza," Kate replied without hesitation.

"I'd better get a few," Castle remarked. "Ryan and Sito should be back in by now."

"Castle," Kate cautioned, "you won't tell anyone, at least until we're sure."

"About the case or the pizza?" Castle teased.

Kate rolled her eyes. "About the baby."

"Kate," he assured her, "until you unzip them, my lips are sealed."

"Good," Kate told him, "because the only one who gets to touch those lips is me."

Smoothing back her bed-mussed hair, Castle framed her face in his hands. "The only way I'd ever want it to be."


	57. Chapter 57

Summer Mix

Chapter 57

Mop and Broom

"What has been happening today" Mop asked as Broom was returned to his place.

"I didn't get to hear everything," Broom reported. "They just got me to clean up after what looked like a pizza party. But from what I was able pick up, Castle and Kate uncovered the evidence to nail a murderer, some really creepy guy. They're celebrating."

"There's something else," Mop said. "Javi was in here with the doctor lady. He seemed to think she had some kind of secret she wasn't telling him. He was trying to kiss it out of her."

"And I missed it!" Broom exclaimed. "That must have been when L.T. dropped the box of donuts. So did she tell him anything?"

"No," Mop answered, "and rightly so. Who'd want a doctor who's a blabbermouth? Oh, someone's coming!"

"What happened to you?" Broom asked as Mop was returned, his tendrils stained brown.

"Coffee all over the floor of break room," Mop replied with disgust. "Kate and Castle were having an argument, I think, but they weren't yelling at each other. They were actually almost whispering. I got the idea that she was trying to make something in there and Castle didn't think she should have it. It ended up going all over the floor?"

"Why wouldn't he want her to have it?" Broom asked.

"You know, I'm not sure," Mop told him, "but Castle said something about Kate sticking to decaf and she told him she read that one wouldn't hurt. I think they said something about a baby."

"Well they are married now, not that it seems to make much difference these days," Broom declared. "Do you think Kate's expecting a little one?"

"She sure doesn't look it," Mop mused, "but it does seem to take a while. How long was Ryan running around here fretting and playing with a doll before he and Jenny had Sarah Grace?"

Broom considered it. "Pretty close to nine months, I think. He was a wreck."

Mop's brown-tipped tendrils fluttered. "Yeah, he was. If that's what's going on with Castle and Kate, they may be too."

"Wow!" Broom exclaimed. "I hope that doesn't mean they're going to stop coming in here."

"Well that would just ruin your fun, wouldn't it?" Mop asked huffily. "I don't think you have to worry about it. I think I hear them coming."

"That was interesting," Broom commented, as he and Mop were once more alone. "I don't think I've ever heard two people trying so hard to apologize to each other. The talking was sweet, but it was better when they got down to it."

"Of course _you _would think so," Mop chided.

"Oh come on!" Broom retorted. "You know you love it too, even if they didn't do the whole thing this time. That was some pretty hot kissing. They probably would have gone the whole way if Scary Lady hadn't been calling for them. Castle looked a little uncomfortable when they left."

"Who doesn't look uncomfortable when Scary Lady calls?" Mop asked. "Anyway, I wonder what she was on a tear about."

"I think we may find out," Broom speculated. "Isn't that Ryan and Javi coming?"

The door of the janitor's closet slammed loudly. "Oooh, Javi was hot, wasn't he, and not in a good way!" Broom exclaimed. "Could you figure out what happened?"

"Not all of it," Mop answered. "Ryan said something about the Tombs. Isn't that a big jail somewhere?"

"I think so," Broom agreed. "I've heard them talk about it a lot. Remember Kate was crying about it that time when Castle was arrested, not too long after they started sneaking in here together. She thought Castle was going to get killed there."

"From what Ryan and Javi were saying," Mop told him, "somebody did get killed there. I think it was that creepy guy that Kate and Castle got for murder, Markos. They just got him for murder and now they have to figure out who killed him. I wonder why they'd bother."

"Sounded like Javi had an opinion similar to yours," Broom pointed out, "but Ryan said that it's their job to catch murderers, whether they think the victim deserved it or not. Javi was talking about going through a huge pile of work all over again. Ryan wasn't too happy about that part either. He definitely wanted more time to see Jenny and Sarah Grace. Sounded like Scary Lady lowered the boom though. Oh now what! Did someone yell flood?"

Mop sagged wearily as he and Bucket were returned to their places. "What happened?" Broom asked.

"Something broke in the Men's Room," Mop replied. There was water all over the floor. It even came under the door and started flowing toward the elevators. It was too much for me. They had to bring Vacuum's sister, you know the one who can pick up water without shorting out, up from the basement. Scary Lady was really mad, I could see her face getting all twisty. I think some of the people out there, especially Castle, found that kind of funny. He was laughing behind his hand, at least until she gave him a look that would melt the stuff they make toilets out of. Anyway, I guess the Men's Room on this floor is going to be closed for a while. Someone even put some of that yellow tape on the door. They seemed to think that was funny too."

"Does that mean that the guys from here are going to have to use the one downstairs?" Broom asked.

"No," Mop replied. "Scary Lady seemed to think that would waste too much time. She said for the time being the Ladies' Room would be what she calls unisex. Someone made what sounded like a joke about someone named Ally McBeal and asked if all the cops would be singing in there. I don't know what that meant. It made Scary Lady even madder though. I think she even scared Castle that time. He asked Kate if they could find an excuse to be somewhere else."

"What did Kate say?" Broom asked.

"She suggested that they go talk to someone named Perlmutter about the body." Mop answered. "Castle didn't seem too enthusiastic about that, but they went. I don't think they'll be back for a while if they can help it. Javi and Ryan were whispering about trying to find some excuse to get away from Scary Lady too. It didn't look like they found one though."

"So what are they doing?" Broom asked

"I think everyone in the bullpen is doing pretty much the same thing, leaning over their computer screens and trying to stay out of Scary Lady's way," Mop confided. "There are some days when I'm really glad we get to spend most of our time in here."

"Yeah," Broom agreed, straws trembling at the thought of Scary Lady's ire, "we definitely have the best seat in the house."


	58. Chapter 58

Summer Mix

Chapter 58

"Ah Detective Beckett – or is it Detective Castle now - and Non-Detective Castle," Perlmutter greeted Kate and Rick as they approached his table.

"It's Detective Beckett during working hours," Kate informed him.

"And you can call me best-selling author Castle," Rick added.

"What have you got on our victim, Perlmutter?" Beckett asked.

"Cause of death is pretty straightforward," Perlmutter explained. "He had his neck broken. Someone grabbed his head and snapped it sideways. It was probably done very fast and with skill. It was a very clean break. Now Mr. Markos himself is much more interesting. He had some kind of hemolytic anemia. I haven't determined what kind, most likely genetic. There is no evidence of toxic exposure."

"Can you determine what kind?" Castle asked.

Perlmutter sighed. "Of course I can, Mr. Castle, but is it relevant to the case?"

"It might be," Beckett put in. "He has an association with a suspect family that may have the disease. Could you let me know when you find out?"

"What family?" Perlmutter asked. "Familial diseases are an interest of mine."

"That figures," Castle muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Mr. Castle?" Perlmutter asked.

Castle cleared his throat. "It is the Lefco family. Have you heard of them?"

"Indeed I have," Perlmutter answered excitedly. "They are a fascinating case going back many generations. The form of anemia they carry is unique to them. It seems to have evolved as a partial resistance to a disease that is endemic on one of the islands off of Greece. It actually allowed the family to grow and prosper, despite a certain level of weakness that comes with the disease. I should have realized it about Markos. He has the characteristic pallor. I can do some testing to confirm it, but he does appear to be part of that family. I will certainly let Detective Beckett know when I have the results."

Castle slid into the car next to Beckett. "Have you ever seen Perlmutter that excited?" he asked. "It was unnerving,"

"He was like a kid with a new toy," Beckett agreed. "Weird as that is, it should work for us. He'll be on top of the case."

"Where to now?" Castle asked. "With Gates, you know, as she is, you don't want to go back to the precinct do you?"

"I thought we'd go to the Tombs, examine the crime scene, maybe interview any of the inmates who might have seen something," Beckett answered.

"Good plan," Castle remarked.

After talking to some of the guards while Castle wandered the area, Beckett examined the taped off corner of the dining hall. "Markos was sitting down," she noted. "Someone probably came up behind him, snapped his neck and then pulled the chair up against the wall. It most likely took less than thirty seconds. The body would have been supported long enough for the killer to just walk away."

"Do we know who was sitting nearby?" Castle asked.

Beckett shook her head. "There's no assigned seating here and the guards don't get close unless a fight breaks out or something. None of the prisoners admitted to seeing a thing when the guards questioned them."

"So where do we go from here?" Castle asked.

"Examine the records of the prisoners who were here, see who might have had the skills to kill Markos that way," Beckett replied.

"Here?" Castle inquired? "There are a lot of prisoners. That sounds like a long job."

"We could get Ryan and Esposito down to help," Beckett offered. "I'm sure they'd like to get out of the bullpen right now. Hey Babe, you're our speed reader. You should be able to help us knock this out in no time."

No time proved to be several hours. Hungry and tired but armed with a list of prisoners to interview in the morning, Castle and Kate let themselves into the loft. A note on the counter read: "Dad, Gram and I ordered in before going to the theater. Leftovers are in the fridge. Love Alexis."

"Let's see what they left us," Castle proposed, opening the refrigerator. "Pepper steak! This would be good with a … never mind."

"Castle, if you were going to say a red wine," Kate told him, "go ahead and have some. No reason you shouldn't enjoy it, just because I can't."

"No need," Castle replied. "Most of the fun of red wine is the effect it has on you. We can both do seltzer," he said, pulling a siphon out of the refrigerator and putting it on the counter. "I actually found someone in the area who started up a business delivering old time seltzer bottles. It's part of a nostalgia craze. The drivers dress up like Clarabell."

"Who?" Kate asked.

"The clown from Howdy Doody, in the '50's. Obviously I didn't see him then, but they brought him back for a little while in the '70's when I was a kid. He ran around squirting seltzer at Buffalo Bob Smith, the host of the show. I always wanted to do that."

Kate rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Castle, I may have a child in me, but your inner child never is very far away, is he?"

"Would you have me any other way?" Castle asked.

"Never," Kate replied, snatching the seltzer siphon from the counter and spraying him with it.

Castle ran to the fridge and pulled out another bottle. "The battle is joined!" he declared, aiming at her. "No mercy!"

They were both soon thoroughly soaked, along with the kitchen floor. With their ammunition finally exhausted, they cleaned up the mess and recovered their energy with the steak. "Kate," Castle said, "Lanie did tell you to take care of yourself. You shouldn't be sitting around in wet clothes."

"Well neither should you," Kate responded, reaching for the buttons on his shirt. "You might catch something and give it to me."

"Can't have that," Castle agreed pulling her top over her head and lifting her in his arms. "I need to take you somewhere we can both be warm, maybe even hot."

"Now where could that be?" Kate asked, threading her fingers through his damp hair.

"Mrs. Castle, I have just the place," he answered.

"Then Mr. Castle," she replied, "take me away."

A/N if this reminds you a bit of the ALS ice bucket challenge, it's supposed to. Also, I know nothing about the Tombs and what I found online wasn't very helpful. So if I got anything wrong, please forgive me. I didn't make up hemolytic anemias, but I did make up the form the Lefcos have. The precept of an otherwise destructive gene flourishing because it confers some sort of immunity is, however, valid. Unfortunately I made up the seltzer service too. Pity, I used to love the stuff and what's sold in the supermarket isn't even close. I am also working on a one shot with yet another theory of what happened to Castle and utilizing what little info has been released. I hope to have it ready soon.


	59. Chapter 59

Summer Mix

Chapter 59

Back at the Tombs Castle and Becket sat across the table from Nibby Johnson, who had a nailless finger in his mouth. "I wasn't anywhere near the guy," he protested. "That skin of his. He looked like a vampire. He gave me the creeps."

Castle fluttered his eyelashes at Beckett who rolled her eyes. "Did you see anyone else hanging around him?" Beckett asked.

"I didn't see anything," Nibby declared. "Around here you keep your eyes down. Much safer that way."

"Who are you safer from?" Beckett persisted.

"Everyone," Nibby replied. "Can I go now?"

Beckett nodded and signaled to a guard.

"I don't see him doing it," Castle told Beckett, once Nibby had been escorted away. "How could he be a calm and deliberate killer? The man chews his nails, Beckett."

"Castle, the man has been picked up on assault charges six times. Once he nearly put someone in the ground. But I agree with you. I don't see him doing anything that quietly."

The next suspect was Perk Joiner. His head had less height above the table than Beckett's but he sat coolly staring at her breasts. His hands showed the calluses seen from long years of martial arts training. "I don't really spend time looking at other men," he told Beckett with a smirk. "I didn't see your guy."

"Do you know how to break someone's neck, Perk" Castle asked.

"Sure," Perk replied, "would you like me to demonstrate on you? Seems like the lady could do better."

Beckett laughed. "You'd never measure up, Perk, but keep dreaming."

Maury Muskgrave barely fit in his chair. His height exceeded Castle's by at least four inches and his weight by well over a hundred pounds. "Mr. Muskgrave, did you see anything the day Theo Markos was killed?" Beckett asked.

Muskgrave looked puzzled. "Who's Theo Markos?"

"Strange looking guy, very pale, got killed in the dining hall a couple of days ago," Castle informed him.

Understanding appeared on Maury's face. "Oh, Dracula. Yeah, I seen 'im. He was sitting by himself at the corner table. I don't think no one wanted to be near him. Dude creeped everyone out."

"Did you see anyone go near him at all?" Beckett asked.

Maury's brow furrowed. "Yeah, I did actually. This jerk, Bounton Gorelick. He wanders around stealing bread and stuff. He's very quick. You can hardly see his hands move. When I see 'im I cover my plate. They don't give us enough as is. I'm losing weight here. He went over by Markos. I don't know how long he was there. I was trying to see what I could trade for more food. I didn't see what he did."

"Thank you Maury, that helps a lot," Beckett said with her sweetest smile.

"Hey, I don't suppose you guys can get some food in here?" Maury asked.

"We'll see what we can do," Castle assured him.

"We oughta send that guy a gift basket," Castle said, after Maury had been taken from the room, "a big one."

"First things first, Castle," Beckett cautioned. "We need to talk to this Bounton Gorelick. He wasn't even on our list."

Bounton Gorelick didn't look dangerous. He was short, thin, and blond, with watery blue eyes. His record listed no arrests for violence, but showed a recent arrest for a borderline DUI. Bail had been set low, but he hadn't met it and was being held awaiting what was expected to be a very short trial. "What do you want with me, Detective?" he asked mildly.

"A witness puts you with Theo Markos before he was killed," Beckett explained. "Can you tell us about that?"

"Not much to tell," Gorelick returned calmly, "there was room to sit at his table, so I went there. After that I saw a space next to my cell mate, so I went to sit with him. Markos was alive when I left his table."

"It's kind of stuffy in here," Castle noted. "Would you like a water?"

Gorelick nodded and Castle passed a small bottle across the table. It tottered on the edge for a fraction of a second before Gorelick caught it."

"Sorry," Castle apologized. "I have lousy depth perception. Good thing you're quick."

"Just lucky," Gorelick replied, easily twisting the lid off the bottle.

"I'm surprised you're not out yet," Beckett commented as Gorelick drank. "First offense, usually low bail."

"I'll be out soon," Gorelick assured her. "Friends of mine got me a lawyer. He says they got no case. It was a bad stop."

"I guess you'll find out soon enough," Beckett replied noncommittally. "I think that's all we need."

"I think Gorelick did it, Castle," Beckett said as they made the walk to her car.

"I do too," Castle agreed. "Did you see him grab that bottle, or more like _not_ see him grab that bottle? I'm kind of disappointed though. I was hoping it would be Perk Joiner. He spent way too much time staring at your boobs."

"Castle, if that was a crime," Beckett answered laughing, "you'd be locked up for life. Right now we need to find everything we can on Gorelick and any connections Markos or the Lefcos." Beckett's phone buzzed. "Speaking of which, that's Perlmutter."

Beckett put her phone on speaker allowing them to listen to Perlmutters proud description of the finer points of his testing procedures. "So Perlmutter," Castle asked when the M.E. ran out of air, "Was Markos a Lefco?"

Perlmutter's exasperation hissed through the speaker. "Mr. Castle, I thought I made that clear. Yes Markos was a Lefco. The procedures I just discussed left no room for doubt."

"Thank you Perlmutter," Beckett said, suppressing a laugh while ending the call.

"Beckett," Castle asked, "before we dive into our research, how about a stop at Remy's Castle?"

"Castle, what are you talking about?" Beckett asked.

"That's what I'm going to rename it," Castle informed her.

Kate's mouth fell open in shock."You were serious about buying it?"

"Well I wasn't sure I was when we talked about it," Castle explained, "but the more I thought about it, I figured we aren't going to be spending a lot of time at the Old Haunt for a while. So I thought about a place where we could go for family food and where I knew we could always get you your shakes. I had my business manager make them an offer. The sale's in progress. Besides, it's a good investment. Every cop at the precinct eats there twenty-four seven. So, lunch at our new haunt?"

Kate took Rick's proffered arm. "Mr. Castle, I'd love to."


	60. Chapter 60

Summer Mix

Chapter 60

Beckett and Castle's eyes were fogging over after several hours spent trying to dig up information on Bounton Gorelick, when Beckett's cell buzzed. Glancing at the caller I.D., she immediately put it on speaker so Castle could join the call. "Mrs. Castle," came Pete Riley's cheerful greeting. "Good news! I have a written offer for your apartment. Where would you like me to bring it?"

"The loft?" Castle mouthed at Kate.

Kate nodded and gave Pete instructions to meet with her and Castle at seven that evening. "That will give us just enough time to get there and get a snack into you before he comes," Castle observed after she ended the call.

"You are determined to keep putting things into my mouth aren't you Castle," Kate teased.

Castle wiggled his eyebrows. "Have to keep your strength up."

A search of the refrigerator uncovered no snackable leftovers, so Castle whipped up omelets, accompanied by a uniquely New York beverage, while Kate changed her clothes.

Kate regarded the glasses, complete with bendy straws, on the counter as she slid onto a high stool. "Castle are those egg creams?" she asked. "I haven't had one in years."

Castle grinned proudly. "I got a whole case of seltzer, so why not? Milk, soda, chocolate syrup, what could be bad?"

"Nothing except the name," Beckett commented, "considering that egg creams don't have eggs in them. But I guess that makes sense since we're drinking them with omelets."

"Perfect logic," Castle agreed, taking the stool next to her.

As Castle watched Kate running her tongue over her lips, catching the last sweetness from her drink, he wished that Pete Riley wasn't due any moment. He resolved to get egg creams on the menu at Remy's Castle and distracted himself by stowing their plates and glasses in the dishwasher, just as the doorbell buzzed.

Smiling and shaking hands with both Castles, Pete Riley presented Kate with a sheaf of paper. Kate looked at the name on the earnest money check that was paper clipped to the top sheet. "Anwar El-Masri?" she asked, confused. "Why would the El Masris want my apartment? They have a place at the Dakota."

"They are buying it for their daughter Sara," Pete replied. "I believe she is a friend of your stepdaughter."

It suddenly hit Kate that she had never heard Alexis referred to in that way before. She hadn't really thought of herself as Alexis' stepmother, more of a friend. It was unsettling, but she put it aside.

"The El Masris are excellent buyers," Pete continued enthusiastically. "As you can see, the earnest money is ten percent of the asking price and they don't require financing."

"I'm sure of that," Castle murmured.

"If you look through the offer," Pete told Kate, "you'll see that we'd be looking at a quick closing, thirty days or less. If you can get your things out of here within that time, the deal should go very smoothly."

Kate scanned the paperwork, with Castle quickly reading over her shoulder. It all seemed straightforward and contained a three day grace period allowing her to cancel the sale without penalty. That gave her enough time for her father to look things over. "All right," she agreed, accepting the pen Pete proffered. "It looks like we have a deal."

"Well one thing we know," Castle observed after Pete had left, "if anything goes wrong with the pipes again, the El-Masris can certainly afford to fix them."

"That's true," Kate agreed. "but I wouldn't want Sara to get rained on. I listed the flood in the disclosure. I'm sure they'll take care of anything that needs doing."

"You want to take the papers to your father?" Castle asked. "It's still pretty early."

Kate shook her head. "We have time. We can drop them by his office before we go in tomorrow. We haven't had much time lately just to flop on the couch. I haven't watched Temptation Lane since before our wedding. I've probably missed a whole plot line."

"Shall I make popcorn?" Castle asked.

"Definitely," Kate agreed.

"I think Lance Hastings has lost some weight," Kate noticed, as she stuck her hand into the buttery bowl on Castle's lap.

"Alexis told me he and Mother have been going out again lately. She has been know to have that effect on men."

"Well good for Martha," Kate commented. "It's nice for a man to get in shape for a woman."

"Is that a hint Mrs. Castle?" Rick asked, pulling a popcorn stuffed hand away from his mouth.

"Actually, your shape is just about perfect," Kate informed him, "although it can always use a woman's touch."

"And just where would this woman like to touch?" Castle whispered throatily.

Kate pulled the bowl aside. "Here, here, maybe there."

"Kate," Castle warned. "you are definitely going down temptation lane."

Kate nipped at his ear. "My favorite road."

Castle just managed to hit the stop button on the remote control before Kate's hand pulled him to the bedroom. Castle had never before realized how arousing the aroma of popcorn that surrounded Kate could be. "No wonder people make out at the movies," he mused silently, tasting the richness of butter on her lips. As she pulled at his shirt, leaving tiny patches of butter and salt, his mouth sought hers more deeply. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled her to his lap, the pressure of her body heightening his need. Cupping her head in his hands, he buried his fingers in the sleek strands of her hair, drawing her ever closer.

Kate melted against Castle's body, the heat of his skin exposed by her seeking fingers flowing through her breasts. She turned, throwing her legs around his waist. The barriers between them too much to bear, they yanked them away, Castle's belt rasping as it was jerked from its loops, and clinking against the wooden floor. They fell backwards to the silkiness of the duvet, soft against the firmness of the mattress. The tips of Kate's hair brushed Castle's chest as she moved above him, guiding his questing hands to where her body craved them most. Their mouths met again as passion drove Kate ever faster, her motion wild under Castle's touch. The shuddering response from her core crashed through her, sweeping Castle with it to Kate's perch on the summit, where they fell to ground together.

A/N In case you missed it, my one shot, _Father Figure_, was posted yesterday.


	61. Chapter 61

Summer Mix

Chapter 61

"So we're going by your father's office and then to the precinct?" Castle asked.

"We actually have a stop in between," Kate replied. "I have a doctor's appointment."

"You're getting the second test?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, and he wanted to check me out too."

Castle felt a tightening in his stomach. "Okay, sounds like a good idea. What time are you supposed to see him?"

"Nine. It's the first appointment of the day, so we shouldn't have to wait. Dad's in at seven thirty so we should have plenty of time," Kate replied.

Castle forced a smile and grabbed their travel mugs. "You've got decaf," he explained unnecessarily.

Kate had one of those rare drives in New York when she caught almost every green light, arriving at Jim Beckett's office at seven twenty. Jim seemed to be having an early day as well and greeted both Kate and Castle with a hug, before examining Kate's paperwork.

"I don't see a problem here, Katie," he told his daughter. "No reason why you shouldn't proceed with the sale."

"I didn't see one either Dad," Kate agreed. "I just wanted you to check. Pete is supposed to open escrow today."

Jim Beckett's lawyer's eyes caught the air of nervousness that hung around Rick and Kate like fog. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about Katie?"

"No Dad," Kate answered quickly. "Actually we have another stop to make before we get to the precinct this morning, so we need to get going."

"You're not going to tell him?" Castle asked as they returned to the car.

"Not until we're a hundred percent sure," Kate answered.

"Okay," Castle agreed. "Just as well. Don't want to jinx it."

* * *

"Mr. Castle?" a medical assistant called as Castle sat in the waiting room nervously scanning through his emails. "The doctor would like you to join Mrs. Castle in his office."

The twinge in Castle's gut turned into a painful twist, as he followed the assistant back to where Kate and Doctor Solomon waited. Castle took a seat next to Kate in front of the doctor's desk, reaching for her hand as he sat.

"The reason I wanted to talk to both of you is that assuming we get confirmation of Mrs. Castle's pregnancy, there are some factors that may come up. Mrs. Castle, your records show that when you were shot, the bullet nicked your left ventricle. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Kate answered, "but all the tests showed I was fine."

"You are," Dr. Solomon agreed. "Your pulse, blood pressure, everything I've seen so far are normal, but pregnancy can put extra strain on the heart and there is probably some scarring. We'll have to keep an eye on that. I'll want you to have EKG's as you progress and be alert to any symptoms. Your age is also a factor. Thirty-five is when we see an uptick in risk. You're almost there. Then I also see a note in here that you've had radiation exposure."

"We both did," Castle told him. "Cobalt sixty."

"Radiation treatment?" Solomon asked.

"No," Kate put in hurriedly. "It was work related. This is all confidential, right?"

"Of course," Solomon assured her.

"We were diffusing a dirty bomb." Castle explained. "We weren't near it long."

Solomon quickly put a damper on the surprise that showed on his face. "We'll monitor the baby carefully for any effects. I'm going to put a stat on this test. My nurse should be able to call you with results tomorrow morning. If it is positive, I want you back in here for a full work up."

Castle put his arm around Kate as they walked to the car. Her voice was low in her throat as she fought to suppress tears. "It never goes away, Castle. Bracken is in jail and he's still affecting my life – our lives."

"Kate, we can handle this," Castle told her. "Whatever happens, we can handle it together. Hey, you're shaking. You want me to drive?"

Kate nodded her assent.

At the precinct Beckett tried desperately to concentrate on Bounton Gorelick. With no previous record, he was a hard man to get a handle on. He seemed to be of modest means and current with his bills. There were no calls or emails showing contact between him and the Lefcos.

"Beckett," I think I found something," Castle told her, staring at the screen of his phone.

"What, Castle?"

"This is an article Gorelick wrote for his college newspaper. It's all about a year he spent on an island off Greece."

Light flashed in Beckett's eyes for the first time since they'd left Solomon's office. "That's it, Castle. That's the connection. Gorelick made contact with the Lefco family. But why would they have him take out one of their own?"

"Maybe because he got caught," Castle suggested. "These people are so good at keeping to the shadows and hiding their business, that they don't want to risk the discovery that might come with a trial. With Markos dead, there's no more reason to look at them."

"Castle that is a remarkably sane theory," Beckett remarked, the first hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"I know," Castle agreed. "I'm kind of off my game."

"I am too," Kate told him the smile falling away. "I'd stopped thinking about, I'd finally put it out of my mind and then..."

"I know," Castle told her, covering her hand with his own. "There's someplace we should go."

Castle pulled the car up next to the familiar stretch of green. "C'mon," he said, extending a hand. The swings were unoccupied and he and Kate sat side by side, swinging gently. "Kate, this is where we've worked through the turning points in our lives. It's where you told me about the wall your mother's death built inside you. It's where we knocked down that wall."

"It's also where I decided to come to you that night," Kate confided.

"Thank you for telling me that," Castle said softly placing a kiss in the palm of her hand. "This is where we became strong in each other, for each other. We don't even know that we'll have a fight this time. Everything could be fine. The doctor never said it couldn't. But whatever happens, this place can certainly testify we've always found a way. We're not going to stop now. Do you believe that?"

With both hands Kate drew him to his feet. Cupping the back of his head with her hand, she pressed her lips to his. "Always."


	62. Chapter 62

Summer Mix

Chapter 62

Journal of Richard Castle

Things were going so well. Kate and I had an incredible honeymoon, even if we did have to solve a murder. The Russians seem to be off my back. We caught a murderer, three actually. I'm buying Remy's. Kate got an excellent offer on her apartment and it looked like Kate and I were going to have a baby. Scratch that. Kate and I _are _having a baby. Dr. Solomon's nurse called this morning to confirm it. But the joy that should have filled our lives with the news has escaped like air from a punctured balloon.

I had gotten so used to Kate's scar, even loved it as a symbol of her indomitable will to survive, but now it is ominous. How could I believe that the woman who runs through alleys and over rooftops chasing bad guys, the woman who sends my body into ecstasy, could have a weakness? I don't know that she does. Dr. Solomon may just be overly cautious. In our lawsuit obsessed culture, doctors are these days, especially OB's. Still, it puts a damper on my dreams.

With all that, I don't think I'm nearly as upset as Kate is. When we left the doctor's office she actually let me drive her vehicle. When has that ever happened? Oh, right. Never. It tore me up inside to see her so shaken. She puts so much faith in her own ability, her own strength, both mental and physical. Her father has made it clear that even as a little girl she would never admit fear. She has been able to let go of that a bit since we've been together, especially since our engagement and marriage. But now she seems lost. The image she has of herself as the invincible warrior has been shaken if not shattered entirely.

I'm not sure what to do for her. I took her to the swings and that seemed to help, but she has still drawn within herself. I can hold her, make love with her and she responds, almost desperately, but the light is gone from her eyes. I don't know how to bring it back.

Dr. Solomon's office gave her the time they normally reserve for emergency appointments so that he could barrage her with tests. We know that her EKG was normal, but this early in the pregnancy that was to be expected. I think Solomon was just looking for a baseline. We won't know about the rest of the tests for a day or two. For me the wait is excruciating. I can only imagine what it is for Kate, and this may only be the beginning. The next few months could be hard. Kate doesn't know it, or I don't think she does, but I was up last night researching the risks Dr. Solomon outlined. They didn't look so bad. Many women, even with active heart disease, deliver healthy babies. The same with women over thirty five. Most of what I saw about radiation risk had to do with exposure during pregnancy, not before it, so I'm not sure about that. I remember that Kate's detector didn't max out when we found the bomb and when it did in the storage compartment, it turned out to be nothing. So I'm hopeful there. I'll be sharing what I found with Kate, but I suspect she'll do research of her own and I tend to be more optimistic than she is, at least most of the time.

I would love to take take Kate somewhere, anywhere, where she could feel happy and safe again, but Kate needs to work. It certainly isn't about money. I can more than take care of her and when her apartment sale closes, she will have a substantial nest egg of her own. Work has always been her identity. I think that is more true now than ever. She needs to feel powerful and what is more powerful than bringing murderers to justice?

That brings me to our current suspect, Bounton Gorelick. Kate and I are sure that he works for the Lefco family. The problem is that we have no evidence. We don't even have any evidence that Gorelick actually committed the murder. He had the opportunity and he seems to have the skills to have pulled it off. Kate is sure he did it and I agree with her. But the only thing we have is that he spent time in Greece on the island that is the seat of the Lefco family. I hate to admit it, but information from Perlmutter helped us with that one. His fascination with familial diseases yielded a very good history of the Lefco family. I have seen people nerd out on all kinds of things, but that was a first. The family might actually make a very good basis for a book: generations of infamy by pale skinned freaks. No, I think it's been done - a lot. We need to find out more about the criminal aspects of the family, rather than the medical ones. I'd like to take Kate and get on a plane to Greece, but right now I think she needs an easier commute to her doctor.

I do have some contacts though who have spent time in that area. They may be able to help. I'm actually playing poker with one of them tonight. I didn't want to leave Kate, so the game is here. Kate might even want to join in. I hope so. I think it could be a lift for her, especially if she beats the pants off those guys. My contact is Jim Demetrios. He was born here but has family in Greece. He writes historical mysteries that center around the Mediterranean, so he has spent a lot of time there getting the flavor of the area. He also has an encyclopedic knowledge of its history, especially the more obscure aspects. Gina is his publisher and he finds no better shoulder to cry on than mine. I'm pretty sure he'll be amenable to helping with the case. Then again, if Kate beats him at poker, he may not be as friendly. I should warn her ahead of time about that. She can take Connelly and Lehane to the cleaners, especially Connelly. I still owe him for that rotten review he wrote on _Deadly Heat_.

The table will be full of booze and the guys are used to Kate drinking with the rest of us. Under the circumstances, we are going to keep her pregnancy under wraps as long as possible, so I need to come up with a spectacular drink for her that looks alcoholic. I really should go do that.

Richard (mixologist extraordinaire) Castle


	63. Chapter 63

Summer Mix

Chapter 63

"Castle, I threw the hand," Beckett complained from her desk at the 12th.

"I know you did," Castle comforted, "but look what we got for it. Jim Demetrios gave us the names of three companies the Lefcos works through, besides Black Hole. We just have to look for a connection between them and Gorelick."

"This import/export company Keer/Yay, weird name isn't it?" Beckett asked. I don't find a Keer or a Yay that might have merged to form it."

"You probably won't," Castle speculated. "It sounds like a bastardization of kyrie, the Greek word for lord. You have to give them credit. It is spectacularly arrogant."

"Maybe that's what will trip them up," Beckett suggested thoughtfully. "If they're arrogant enough to think they can't make a mistake, they may get careless."

Castle was overjoyed to hear something optimistic coming from Kate's mouth. It had been a rough morning. Kate had been almost silent and words had spilled ridiculously from his mouth trying to lighten the mood as they both avoided discussing the merciless wait for the rest of Kate's test results. The poker game had been a safe topic of conversation. Both he and Kate had done well, with Kate being particularly ruthless until the last hand when she allowed Jim Demetrios to take a large pot. Castle was fairly sure that Demetrios was unaware of the ruse. Now he and Kate just had to make the resulting flood of information work for them.

"Here it is!" Castle shouted excitedly, drawing looks from around the bullpen. "Gorelick worked for Angel, a subsidiary of Keer/Yay. Looks like he was their angel of death. If that's what he did for them, there's got to be a money trail somewhere."

"Castle, Gorelick has a sister. He might have parked some money with her," Beckett speculated.

"Can you get her financials?" Castle asked.

Kate shook her head. "We don't have even close to grounds for a warrant."

"Where does she live?" Castle asked.

"Fairfield Connecticut," Beckett replied, "not exactly the ghetto."

"If memory serves," Castle said, "the richest city in the state. I made it the scene of one of the murders in _Death of a Prom Queen_."

"I remember," Kate affirmed.

"Road trip?" Castle asked.

"Road trip," Kate agreed.

The house at the address for Susan Gorelick, at the top of a gentle hill, could only be described as magnificent. Screened by ancient trees, Castle and Beckett could make out a pool, a cabana, and tennis court.

"Wow Castle," Beckett observed, "this is even bigger than your house in the Hamptons."

"_Our _house in the Hamptons, Kate," Castle corrected, "but then, I don't play tennis. I didn't find anything anywhere that would account for Susan Gorelick being able to afford this, did you?"

"No," Beckett replied. "She doesn't have a job. Unless she got an inheritance from some distant relative or won the lottery, this may be where Bounton's money went. We can check public records and see what we can find on the purchase of this place."

"I know something else we can do," Castle suggested. "You know that diner we passed on the way up here? There were a lot of service trucks parked outside: gardeners, the guys who pump out septic tanks, pool maintenance. If ever there was a place to sit and eavesdrop on what goes on around here, that would be it. We might get lucky. It's lunchtime anyway and you hardly touched your breakfast."

"All right Castle," Beckett replied. We can catch lunch there, but then we should find the Hall of Records.

The diner was a find, with juicy burgers, crisp fries, and thick shakes. It didn't quite rival Remy's but it was close enough to be more than satisfying. A woman, dressed in a simple gray uniform and sensible shoes sat at the counter, chatting with a waitress. Castle and Beckett strained to hear. "I swear," she said, "I was there when it was delivered. I clean the place three times a week. It was the most beautiful necklace I've ever seen. It had diamonds and emeralds. It must have been worth more than I will ever see in my life. Well Miss Susie Gorelick, she just sort of glanced at it to see what was in the case. She didn't try it on or nothing. She just stuck it in the safe in the library. I've seen her stick stuff in there before. There's a pile of it. She doesn't ever even wear none of it. It just sits there. I tell you, if I had a necklace like that, I'd want everyone to see it."

Castle wiggled his eyebrows at Beckett. She took a quick draw on her shake, but couldn't hide the beginnings of a smile.

* * *

The Hall of Records indicated that the house occupied by Susan Gorelick had been purchased by none other than Angel corporation. "So," Castle announced triumphantly, "the sister gets to live in a mansion and the money is converted to jewelry. No bank records. No taxes. Bounton Gorelick is the Lefco family's hit man."

"Castle, we might be able to scratch together enough for a warrant for both of the Gorelick's financials now, if we catch a judge in a generous mood, but we're still a long way from proving Bounton Gorelick guilty or that the Lefcos are behind the murder," Beckett reminded him.

"Beckett, I know," but if they've left these tracks uncovered, there will be more. We will find them."

Beckett rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm. "We'll find out. Let's get back to the precinct."

The leaves blazed brilliantly along the road as Beckett drove south. "You know," Castle marveled, "Fall here never fails to amaze me and this year is especially amazing. It's probably because the winter was so miserable, but I don't think I've ever seen the trees more beautiful. Maybe you could find some place to pull over and we could just enjoy them for a bit."

"Castle, this isn't a pleasure trip," Beckett reminded him. "We should get back to the city."

"That doesn't mean you're not entitled to a break, Kate. Five minutes won't make a difference," Castle cajoled.

"If it will make you happy, Castle," Beckett returned.

Castle leaned over, brushing her hair back from her face. "Kate, I'm more interested in making you happy."

The hint of an upturn appeared at the corners of Kate's mouth. "It looks like there's a place up ahead."

The side road lead to a smaller one, which brought them to a small chapel nestled among the trees. Stone benches outside seemed designed for gazing at the surrounding glory. Rick cradled Kate's hand in his as they sat listening to the gentle rustle of the wind in the branches above.

A single high voice emanated from the chapel. "The soloist must be practicing," Castle guessed.

"Castle, listen to the words," Kate whispered, as the soloist sang the chorus.

_Hold me close;  
let your love surround me.  
Bring me near.  
Draw me to your side.  
And as I wait  
I will rise up like the eagle,  
and I will soar with you;  
your spirit leads me on  
in the power of your love._

Nestling under Castle's arm, Kate laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes, letting the gentle sounds wash over her. The sun's warmth on her face mingled with the warmth of Castle's body, for a moment of exquisite peace.

A/N The chorus is from a praise song called _The_ _Power of Your Love_. I got it from the Don Moen's Lyrics site. The song was played in church this past Sunday and it stuck in my head. My intention here was not necessarily to invoke God, but definitely to invoke love.


	64. Chapter 64

Summer Mix

Chapter 64

Castle soothingly stroked Kate's hair. "Try to go back to sleep. It's four hours before Solomon's office even opens."

"I can't, Castle. The tests, the case, I can't turn off my brain. You know what that's like."

"I do," Castle empathized. "I usually just get up and do research or write or make a stupendously unhealthy snack. I don't see that working for you. There is one thing I know of that you can't do and think at the same time."

Kate turned, hazel eyes staring into blue. "You want to tell me what that is?"

Castle cupped her cheek in his broad palm. "I think I'd rather show you."

He began gently, kissing the corners of her mouth. As she opened to him, he tasted deeply. There was a change, a need that called to his own. Almost melting together, he drew her against him. "I want," Kate whispered hoarsely.

"What? Just tell me what."

Words were not enough. She was everywhere, touching, stroking, as if she could drink him through her fingertips, while her lips held his. Air was flung from her lungs as he came to her, the love dance driving away consciousness. Instinct, primitive and pure, guided her motion. She chased the crescendo until it caught them both, helpless and replete in its onslaught.

The sun was long past up when Kate's lashed lifted again. "We need to get going!" she exclaimed, throwing her legs over the side of the bed.

"I can start breakfast if you want the first shower," Castle offered.

"Castle, I don't know if there's time to eat," Kate replied to his reproving look, "and I'm not sure that I can."

"If you can't," Castle declared matter of factually, "we'll take something to the precinct with us, you can have it later. But you are are taking care of yourself."

"Okay," Kate capitulated. "I'll be quick."

They arrived at the 12th before shift change and before Kate could receive any test results. Beckett had been lucky enough to catch Judge Markaway in a good mood when they returned to the city the day before and Gorelick financials as well as phone records were newly arrived on Beckett's desk. She and Castle concentrated as best they could on the figures.

"Beckett," Castle said, examining the sheet before him, "there are three numbers that Susan talks to a lot, and they're all in New York."

"She might have friends here, Castle," Beckett replied, "but it's worth a look."

Castle highlighted the numbers and passed them to Beckett who entered them in her reverse look up app. "Okay Castle, this first one is Angel. That makes sense because they own her house, or she might have been talking to her brother. This next one, Pafco Jewelry, definitely worth checking out. And the last... Castle, it's the number for an Andrea Lefco! That's a direct connection to the Lefco family."

Kate was startled when her phone, still in her hand, buzzed with an incoming call. "Castle, it's Dr. Solomon's office." Not wishing to be overheard in the bullpen, Kate decided against the speaker button. Castle took her hand as she greeted the caller. The call was brief and Castle searched Kate's face as she laid the phone on her desk. Light sparkled in her eyes even before her smile caught her lips. Still wary of being overheard, she whispered: "Everything's fine. He wants to see me in a month, or sooner if I have any symptoms, but everything is fine. C'mon."

Kate led the way to the break room. Closing the door behind her, her lips collided with Castle's. "What do you want to do now?" Castle asked as the kiss ended with his arms still around her.

Kate pulled away, going to the refrigerator where Castle had stowed cream cheese laden bagels and bottles of juice. "Eat! I'm starved!"

* * *

Pafco Jewelry was small and locked behind an iron gate. Having decided to not reveal herself immediately as NYPD, Beckett had Castle ring the bell for service and she kept her badge out of sight. When the bearded proprietor opened the gate, Castle, arm around Beckett, introduced himself and possessively introduced Kate as Mrs. Castle. "Mr Pafco," Castle began, "Kate here likes color changing sapphires."

"Maury," Pafco hurriedly interjected.

"Maury, they remind me of Rick's eyes," Beckett told Pafco, looking lovingly up at Castle.

"I do have quite a selection," Pafco told them, a fact already discovered in their own research. "Where did you hear about me?"

"My friend Susie, Susie Gorelick," Beckett replied.

"Oh yes," Pafco agreed excitedly. "She is quite a fan. She often uses me to locate jewelry for her friends, although usually they don't come in. I send it to her."

"Well Maury, we live in the city, at least during the week, so Rick thought I should come look for myself," Beckett explained. "I'd really like a pendant, maybe five carats."

"Certainly," Pafco agreed, unlocking a display case and laying black velvet trays on the counter."

Castle saw Kate's eyes go to a flashing blue stone in an antique style platinum setting. "That reminds me a lot of the earrings your mother gave me to wear at our wedding," she said with no pretense.

"Me too," Castle agreed. "Can she try it on?"

Maury lifted the necklace and handed it to Castle to place around Kate's neck. It fit perfectly between her breasts.

"We'll take it," Castle announced, pulling out his black card and ignoring the quickly damped shock that appeared in Kate's eyes.

"You have excellent taste," Pafco told Beckett as he successfully ran the card. "Wear it in good health."

"That's the idea," Castle told him, leading Beckett from the shop.

"Castle, what are you doing!" Kate exclaimed as they reached the car. "You weren't supposed to actually buy anything! Why didn't you tell him we'd think about it?"

"Kate, there was nothing to think about," Castle protested. "It looks beautiful on you and I thought the morning demanded more by way of celebration than juice and a bagel. Maury said to wear it in good health and that's exactly what you'll do. I believe that. What I don't believe is that Maury Pafco has any idea that Susan Gorelick is using him to launder her brother's blood money."

"I agree with you there Castle, so let's go talk to Andrea Lefco. Maybe we should drop the pendant by the loft on the way. It's not very cop like."

"How about if you just button your blouse over it when we do the interview," Castle suggested. "I like knowing that you're wearing it."

Kate briefly fingered the blue stone and agreed.

* * *

Andrea Lefco occupied a brownstone not far from the offices of Black Hole. Security was tight, requiring Beckett to announce herself and show her badge to the camera at the entrance. Andrea's skin showed the characteristic family pallor, which she appeared to attempt to offset with bright clothing. She sported an eye-popping orange print blouse over wide orange pants, with a matching headpiece. Her feet were encased in stilettos the height of which eclipsed even those in Kate's collection. "Are you here to investigate the death of my cousin Theo?" she inquired.

"If you're referring to Theo Markos, yes Ms. Lefco we are," Beckett replied. "Are you acquainted with a Bounton Gorelick?"

"No," Andrea replied, "why?"

"It may be nothing," Beckett answered casually, "he was just in the general vicinity when Theo died."

"I'm sorry," Andrea reiterated. "I've never heard of him."

"Can you think of anyone else who might want to harm your cousin?" Beckett asked.

"I suppose there would be any number of violent killers in jail," Andrea speculated. "He shouldn't have been there anyway. I'm sure the evidence against him was faked. Everyone loves Theo." Andrea's eyes narrowed. "Beckett, weren't you the investigating detective?"

"Yes, I was," Beckett admitted, "and I can assure you nothing was faked."

"You both should leave now," Andrea told Beckett and Castle. "I don't have to talk to you."

Beckett and Castle began to walk away when Castle turned around. "Just one more thing, Ms. Lefco, do you know a Susan Gorelick?"

Andrea's pale face became even paler. "No. Now get out!"

"Wow, is she lying," Castle declared as they returned to Beckett's vehicle. "You could almost see the flames licking at those orange pants of hers."

"Another Lefco mistake, Castle," Beckett said with a satisfied smile as she pulled her pendant out again from beneath her blouse. "They're starting to pile up. Sooner or later that pile will fall over and bury them."

Castle ran his thumb softly over Kate's cheekbone. "And won't that be a beautiful sight?"


	65. Chapter 65

Summer Mix

Chapter 65

Kate Beckett stretched tiredly at her desk. The fatigue of the first months of pregnancy was getting to her, but her inability to put the Lefco mess to bed was getting to her more. The evidence pointed to Gorelick as not just the murderer of Theo Markos. There was a string of suspicious deaths tied in some way to the Lefco family in each of which Gorelick was somewhere in the vicinity. The problem was, that proximity was pretty much all they had. There were no fingerprints. DNA was long gone, or hopelessly contaminated. The man was good, too good. Whatever slip ups the family might have made, his work seemed to be perfect. She and Castle, Ryan and Esposito, continued to follow tantalizing trails that ended in frustration. She had continuing surveillance on Bounton Gorelick, who had been released from jail, but there was no budget to keep tabs on his sister or the Lefco family.

"Hey!" Castle said, massaging her shoulders. "It's just about time to meet your father for lunch. This is the day we finally tell him."

"I'm pretty sure he knows anyway," Kate surmised. "Last time I saw him a packet of crackers fell out of my pocket. He had a very strange look on his face, but he didn't say anything. I think he's been waiting for official word. I think Ryan knows too. He keeps giving me these little smiles."

"Well we can tell your father first and the boys later. The villus sampling was clean and all indications are for a healthy baby. The holidays are coming and we'll have a lot to celebrate. Let's go see Grandpa."

Jim Beckett was already seated at the owner's booth at Remy's Castle when Kate and Rick arrived. Kate slid in beside him with Castle next to her. Castle signaled the waitress to take their order. Kate sipped her strawberry shake, Jim Beckett drank black coffee, and Castle downed a Dr. Pepper while they waited for their food to arrive. "So what's up, Katie?" Jim Beckett asked.

Kate took Castle's hand. "Dad, I'm pregnant."

"Katie, that's wonderful!" Jim explained, firmly putting a lid on the expression of his own doubts. "How far along are you?"

"Almost three months," Kate replied. "We didn't want to say anything before because we wanted to make sure everything was all right with the baby."

"How are you?" Jim asked.

"I'm fine Dad. I had what I guess is the common thing, with morning sickness," Kate explained casually.

"Meaning upchucking every morning for about the last month and a half," Castle put in.

"That's pretty much gone," Kate continued, "and I'm a little tired. There are some issues my doctor is keeping tabs on, but so far I'm fine."

Jim started to inquire further and stopped when he saw Castle shaking his head.

"How are you doing, Dad?" Kate asked.

"I have a new class action suit," Jim explained. "There are a number of people who were forced out of their apartments, either to lift rent restrictions, or so that buildings could go condo. It turns out that all the buildings are connected to a single company, Black Hole. It's part of an empire owned by a mysterious family called the Lefcos."

Kate's shake caught in her throat. "The Lefcos? Dad, that's the family tied to our murder investigation. It started because a woman named Shirley Brown was killed to get her out of her apartment. Dad those people are dangerous. We've been trying to nail their hit man, a guy named Bounton Gorelick, for months."

"That name sounds familiar," Jim Beckett said. "There were some people setting up an office down the hall from me. I just caught a scrap of conversation when I was going to the elevator, but I think that was a name they mentioned."

"Oh my God, Dad!" Kate exclaimed, "Gorelick is after you!"

Castle immediately slipped an arm around her. "Kate, you've got to calm down. You've got surveillance on Gorelick. If he actually comes near Jim, he'll be seen."

"Maybe that would be a good thing," Jim Beckett proposed. "If I'm his target, and you're watching him, you can nail him."

"Dad, you're not seriously suggesting that you set yourself up as bait," Kate protested. "You should drop the case."

"Katie, I may not be the crusader your mother was, but I'm not leaving those people hanging," Jim maintained. "A lot of them ended up with no place to live. Put a detail on me, do whatever you have to do, but the case is going forward and if that helps you catch your killer, all the better."

"Dad," Kate argued, "you're just being stubborn."

Jim smiled. "It runs in the family. So make whatever calls you need to make and eat your lunch. You don't want to starve the baby."

Kate pulled out her cell and contacted the surveillance team who assured her they had eyes on Gorelick. She put a second team in motion as back up, just as the waitress approached with full plates.

"Thank you Laurie," Castle said as he received his cheeseburger. "We'll call you if we need anything else. You know," he observed as he stuck a french fry into Kate's mouth, "I think these are even crispier. We put a new thermostat on the fryer. It helped."

"Castle," Kate reproved, "you're just trying to distract me."

"Is it working?" Castle asked, waving a spear of dill pickle under her nose.

Kate laughed. "Pickles when I'm drinking a shake. Pickles and ice cream, could you get any more stereotypical than that?"

"Give me a moment," Castle answered. "I'll see what I can do."

Castle and Jim exchanged looks of understanding as Kate took a bite of her burger. Jim steered the conversation in another direction, regaling them with a story of accompanying Martha to an after party. When complimented on her performance, she immediately proceeded to replay the scene, playing both parts, for her admirer."

Kate and Castle remembered the lines from Martha's many renditions around the loft and played it out together at the table with Castle playing Martha, complete with grand hand gestures. When the last of her fries had been consumed, along with the side salad Castle had insisted on, Kate returned to a more somber mood. "Really, Dad, I'm worried about you. I don't like the idea of you having a target on your back. I wish you'd reconsider dropping the case."

"Kate," Castle proposed, "what about if we get Henry Jasper into this? He could look over your dad's office and apartment, beef up security, whatever is necessary."

"Would that make you feel better, Katie?" Jim asked.

"I'd feel better if you dropped the case," Kate replied, "but Henry knows his business. If you insist on continuing, it's better than nothing."

"I'll set it up," Castle said.

Kate embraced her father as he left to return to work. "Castle, I really hate this," she fretted as they took the elevator to homicide.

"Kate, I know," Castle sympathized, "but between the surveillance teams and Henry, your Dad should be fine. And as an added bonus we might get Bounton Gorelick and bring down the Lefcos once and for all. Your father coming up with this case had to be fate. We just need to deal with it, just like we've dealt with everything else."

"Castle, do you really believe that?" Kate asked.

Castle gathered her in his arms tucking her head under his chin. "I do."

A/N Obviously, I made a time jump, but there is less than three weeks left of summer, and only about a week beyond that to the new season on Castle, so I need to move things along.


	66. Chapter 66

Summer Mix

Chapter 66

Journal of James Beckett

Dear Johanna,

Things are both frightening and exciting. Katie is expecting. I've suspected for some time. She had the same look you had. She was also extremely tense about something but wouldn't tell me what it was. I asked Rick and he asked me to let it go, that he was taking care of it. Obviously he took care of something. From what the kids tell me, both Katie and the baby are healthy. You know Katie. I think she's holding something back about that too and Rick knows what it is. Rick gave me a pretty obvious non-verbal warning not to push the issue, so I didn't.

Katie is very frustrated about a case that she and Rick have been working on for months. As it turns out, there is a convergence with my new class action suit. I don't believe I've put the details down for you before. There is a company called Black Hole, very aptly named as people's homes and lives disappear into it. Black Hole is one of many companies controlled by a family called the Lefcos, apparently based on an island in Greece. Black Hole has been forcing people out of their apartments in New York for years, sometimes with dire consequences. That's where Katie comes in. Black Hole's activities have resulted in at least one murder that she was able to prove. She suspects that the man behind the murder was killed in turn by someone named Bounton Gorelick, also employed through a chain of subsidiaries by the Lefco family. Katie fears that I am in danger. There are new occupants in the office down the hall from me and I believe I heard one of them mention Gorelick's name. Katie has no real proof that Gorelick has committed any murders. This may all be nothing. I actually hope that it isn't. Katie has full surveillance on Gorelick and if he does try to come after me, she'll have him. That would take a load off her shoulders. I never thought that I'd participate in anything like this, but I'm finding there is a certain rush to it. I'm beginning, at least in a small way, to understand what Katie and Rick feel when they go after criminals.

Of course Rick wants to put Katie's mind at rest as much as he can, especially considering her pregnancy. He has the security firm he worked with after his abduction, keeping an eye on me. The nature of the danger Rick and his family were in at that time was never fully disclosed to me, but I gather that it was quite serious and that this firm was very helpful. They certainly are thorough. They've installed state of the art security in my apartment and at my office. I've been assigned a shadow as well, although whoever has the assignment is so unobtrusive that even I don't notice. Rick is picking up the tab for all of this, for Katie's sake.

On a lighter note, speaking of Rick spending money, he bought the burger place Katie likes so much, the one that makes her strawberry shakes. As far as I can tell it is a very good investment. Remy's Castle, as it's now called, operates twenty-four hours a day and seems to do so at near capacity. From what I understand, a lot of the business they get in the wee hours comes from cops from Katie's precinct. That is actually very similar to what Rick did with his bar, The Old Haunt. The place was barely breaking even when Rick bought it, but he gained a lot of business from cops and now the bar is doing quite well. His boyishness seems to belie it, but somehow our son-in-law seems to have a knack for business. He does very well with Nikki Heat and Derrick Storm. The Derrick Storm graphic novels are especially popular and there has been discussion of a Derrick Storm television show. It's nice to know that Katie has married someone who can take care of her, even if she is still bound and determined to take care of herself. She may find once the baby is born that she might like to take some time off, as you did. If she doesn't, they will probably need some help with childcare. As I've mentioned before, Rick has real skills in that area. He pretty much raised Alexis on his own, but if Katie is solving cases they will both be happier if he is at her side. I know that he can afford to hire the best for whatever help they need. Alexis is also anxious to pitch in and to a certain extent, so is Martha.

Martha and I are getting more and more comfortable with each other both as in-laws and friends. I am certainly not the kind of dashing character that strikes her fancy. She also seems to think younger men can keep up with her better. I certainly wouldn't know about that in the context in which she says it, but there is no doubt that she is an ebullient woman. We do bond over our concern for the kids and now our future grandchild. She was almost as upset as Katie was at the idea of my being a target for a murderer. She says that it's bad enough worrying about Rick and Katie. She doesn't want to have to worry about me. That is touching. She says it makes her feel better that Henry Jasper is involved. From what she tells me, she enjoyed the company of the bodyguard Henry picked for her, a young woman involved with theater. She and Maya Lee, the young woman, are still in touch. Maya is teaching a class in martial arts at Martha's acting studio.

I still miss you, especially now. I don't think anyone except you could quite understand how I feel about Katie. I want so much for everything to work out for her. I love seeing how happy Rick makes her. I do indulge in a certain amount of self-congratulation. I knew she loved him before she did, or at least before she would admit it. I hope that being a mother will prove to make her just as happy. She seems to want it more than I thought she ever could. That is a beautiful and encouraging thing to see. I hope you can see it too and that you are watching over her and the baby.

Forever love,

JB


	67. Chapter 67

Summer Mix

Chapter 67

Case Notes of Henry Jasper

We've been engaged by Richard Castle to protect his father-in-law James Beckett from a possible threat by Bounton Gorelick and the many tentacles of the Lefco family for whom he is assumed to work. Castle believes that Gorelick is a cleaner for the Lefco family and has committed multiple murders. There is no doubt that Beckett is a threat to the Lefcos. He is handling a class action suit against Black Hole, one of their many holdings. If he succeeds or even if he doesn't, with the public nature of court documents, operations Black Hole would much rather conceal will be exposed. The more important question is: are the Lefcos a genuine threat to him. We are proceeding on the assumption that they are.

Installing security was the most straightforward part of this operation. Beckett already had some installed in his apartment, but it dated back more than a decade to the time before his wife was murdered. They had certainly been wise to install it at the time since her unwavering search for truth eventually resulted in her death. It is now completely updated. We will be able to detect any incursion immediately. His office had nothing except locks on the door and a simple alarm, mostly as protection against theft. He had never before considered himself a target. We now have a complete system with both video and motion detectors. In addition, the system is redundant. Information from some cameras with be stored on site and a completely different system will transmit to our headquarters. In this way I am hoping that if any attempt is made to disable security, we will have backup. Everything also has battery backup in case the power is cut and a loss of power sounds an alarm as well.

I have assigned operatives to Beckett around the clock. There are three who will he handling the assignment. The least challenging assignment, when Beckett is secure for the night in his apartment, I have given to George Burstyn. He has always been a good operative, but he also almost allowed Richard Castle to be taken by Dimitri Rostoff. That was not acceptable. I have put him through complete retraining and I have not observed any problems with his performance since, but I am continuing to carefully monitor his competence. I have also been personally checking on him at random times during his assignments and will continue to do so until I am completely convinced that his retraining was absolutely effective.

The second operative is Mara Bernstein. She will be covering him from the time he leaves home in the morning until the early evening. She is also a paralegal and has gotten an assignment from him to work on the Black Hole case. He doesn't know she is there to protect him and neither does anyone else outside this agency. If anyone in the building sees her, she shouldn't raise suspicions.

The third operative is Manny Blum. Manny is a dry alcoholic. He has been sober for twenty years. Beckett is also a dry alcoholic, having been sober for approximately eleven years. He does attend meetings quite regularly. That is where Manny will be truly essential. He can attend meetings with Beckett without in any way invading anyone's privacy or violating anyone's trust. He also has a deep understanding of whatever issues Beckett may face.

I'll be filling in any holes in the schedule myself. In addition, my operative Maya Lee maintains a relationship with Martha Rodgers, mother-in-law to Beckett's daughter. Martha and Beckett spend social time together and Maya will be able to gain some insight on those activities and whatever problems with surveillance may arise. I won't be asking Maya for personal information given in confidence unless it is absolutely necessary to Beckett's safety, but she can help with the general lay of the land.

Kate, Beckett's NYPD detective daughter and Castle's wife, has assigned two NYPD surveillance teams to Bounton Gorelick. They seem somewhat more effective than FBI teams who were assigned to Castle in a previous case. Kate has not utilized relatively inexperienced people, as the FBI did. Still, they were easy to spot and if Gorelick is as dangerous as Kate believes him to be, he has probably spotted them as well. He may even enlist the help of someone we have yet to identify in order to mislead them. We'll have to be alert to that possibility.

I will have to copy this to another file, but it does involve the Castle family. I have not completely closed the case on the Russian oligarchy. I continue to monitor their activities. So far they are quiescent, especially in relation to Castle and his family. I believe that monitoring by Federal agencies has yielded the same observation. I hope that continues to be the case.

After Dimitri Rostoff was taken down before Castle's wedding, (and I do thank God that Castle was able to remember my instructions on counteracting a knife threat), there were a number of cells that ceased to function, largely because their sources of income had been cut off by coordinated activity by a special task force. I believe that Castle actually knows more about this than I do and has not been permitted to disclose it. Nonetheless, there are seeds of new enterprise that may be planted. Some members of the organization who were either too junior to draw notice or skilled enough to avoid detection, may be able to start rebuilding the organization.

Even if the organization is rebuilt, they may have much higher priorities than Castle. They can completely change whatever plans he may or may not have known. They may well have learned that those plans were transmitted to the CIA and abandoned them completely. It is quite unlikely that he would in any way be a danger to them. Thus it would not make sense to waste resources going after him.

The element of revenge always exists, however. There may be someone besides Dimitri who wants to deliver payback for his father's fall. I have no knowledge that such a person or persons exist, but in my intelligence gathering, I will remain open to the possibility.

There is one other unresolved matter: the unidentified man who was observing from afar at Castle's wedding. Clearly he was not a paparazzi. He took no pictures. I've since asked members of the Castle family, including Richard, Kate, Alexis, and Martha, about him. All of them claimed to have no idea who the man was and if my interrogation skills are up to par, I believe that all of them were lying. Richard and Martha seemed particularly taken aback at the question. I don't believe that they believe he poses a threat. The reaction I saw was more one of confusion. One of my operatives got a picture of him. We did get a hit on him in one facial recognition data base, but the information was restricted and we were immediately ejected from the system. That leads me to believe that the man is a covert operative, and one at the highest levels at that. I have no idea what connection, if any, he may have with the Russians, but my people will be alert to his reappearance.


	68. Chapter 68

Summer Mix

Chapter 68

Mara Bernstein spoke softly into her cell phone. "Henry, I've seen someone both outside the apartment and in Beckett's office building. It's not Gorelick, but I can't believe it's a coincidence. I'm sending you several pictures for ID."

Mara hastily slipped her phone inner pocket as Jim Beckett entered the room. "Good morning, Mara. You're in a little early."

"I just wanted to have those documents ready for you, Mr. Beckett. "Here they are."

Jim Beckett looked them over with a practiced eye. "Very nice work," Beckett complimented her. "We're building quite a case."

"I'm glad to help," Mara replied honestly. "The idea of people being put out of their homes disgusts me. The people responsible should pay."

"They will," Jim Beckett assured her.

A uniformed worker rang the buzzer at entrance to the office. When he held up a photo I.D. from Con Edison, to the camera outside the door Mara recognized him instantly, looking at the monitor as Jim went to let him in. "Sir, no," Mara warned.

Jim turned around in confusion. "What's the matter?"

"Mr Beckett, I work for Henry Jasper," Mara confessed, pulling a gun from the drawer of her desk. "That man isn't from Con Ed. He's been seen at your apartment and here. Go in your private office and lock the door. I'm signaling Henry."

Mara pulled out her phone again, swiping one button to indicate an emergency. The buzzer continued to sound, Jim Beckett didn't move.

"Please sir," Mara pleaded. "Go to your office. Let me do my job."

As Jim grudgingly did as she asked, Mara tucked her gun into her waistband at the small of her back and opened the door with a dazzling smile.

The visitor held up the plastic badge identifying himself as Bane Burgess. "We think there may be problems with the wiring in this building," the man asserted. "I need to do some voltage checks at your outlets."

Burgess took a voltmeter from tools hanging on his belt. Mara noticed that his pants didn't fall quite straight over one leg. Burgess made a show of checking outlets in the outer office. "I need to check the other outlets as well," he told Mara. "Can I get in there?" he asked, pointing at Jim's locked door.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Beckett isn't in yet," Mara lied, "and I don't have a key to that office."

"Strange," Burgess remarked reaching downward, "I saw him come in here." Burgess reached for the gun in his ankle holster but Mara was faster, pointing her weapon at his chest.

"I wouldn't do that," she warned. "We'll just wait for my boss and the police."

* * *

Captain Gates deemed Kate's emotional involvement too strong and demanded that the interrogation of Bane Burgess be carried out by someone else. Ryan and Esposito sat opposite Burgess in the box while Kate and Castle observed through the glass.

"Look man," Esposito contended, "we know that you're working for someone. Give us your boss and we'll tell the D.A. you cooperated."

Burgess sat defiantly silent.

"It's Bounton Gorelick isn't it," Ryan asked, his mild blue eyes suddenly taking on a hint of steel.

"Burgess' pupils widened and he shifted in his chair. "I want a lawyer," he announced.

Castle shook his head in disgust. "Kate, he'll probably make bail by this afternoon."

"It doesn't matter," Beckett replied conspiratorially. "He failed. With the Lefcos, that can be fatal. Gorelick will try to take Burgess out before the Lefcos decide to take Gorelick out. We just have to watch until we get Gorelick. We'll have Gorelick on attempted murder and if we can get Burgess to flip on him, we'll have a lot more than that."

"Henry will be keeping his team on your father," Castle said, "even though Mara Bernstein's cover is blown."

"That's good," Beckett replied. "That will cover all our bases."

Almost out of habit, Castle massaged Kate's shoulders. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Good," she replied, surprised at the truth of her answer. "I think the queasiness is completely gone and I'm not tired."

Castle smiled. "The magic of the fourth month. Not that you could be any more beautiful than you already are, but you are beginning to take on a glow. Up for lunch while we wait for the dirt bag to spring himself?"

"Yeah," Kate agreed, "but I want to check on my father first."

"Of course," Castle agreed.

The trip uptown was slowed by several construction zones and Kate's stomach was audibly rumbling by the time she arrived at Jim Beckett's office. "Maybe we should take your father with us and just talk while you eat?" Castle suggested.

"I don't know that he'll want to, he seemed anxious to get back to work," Kate replied, "but we can ask him."

Jim Beckett appeared more enthusiastic than shaken and happily accepted the invitation to join Rick and Kate for lunch."

"So my paralegal is an undercover operative," Jim mused over Moo Shoo Pork. "Mara's actually an excellent paralegal. I'd like to keep her around."

"Maybe I can get Henry to deduct what you're paying for her legal work from the bill," Castle joked.

"Rick, thank you, really," Jim said. "If Mara hadn't been there things could have turned out very differently."

Castle clasped Kate's hand. "There's nothing more important than taking care of family, all of it."

The waiter brought a tray with the check and fortune cookies. Castle put his card on the tray and cracked one of the cookies open. "What did you get?" Kate asked.

"Mmm, magic lottery numbers," Castle read. "I'll have to give these to Ryan." He turned the slip of paper over. "Your life is enriched by love. They got that right!," he agreed giving Kate a quick kiss before handing her a cookie of her own.

"More magic numbers," Kate reported before looking at the reverse side. "Your efforts keep evil at bay."

"They're two for two," Castle observed handing the last cookie to Jim Beckett.

Jim Beckett ignored the numbers, immediately reading the fortune. "Love guards your way and guides your path." Jim swiped at his eyes.

"You okay, Dad?" Kate asked.

"Just fall pollen," Jim assured her. "Katie, I'm fine, just fine."


	69. Chapter 69

Summer Mix

Chapter 69

Surveillance on Bounton Gorelick reported that he was headed in the general direction of the newly released Bane Burgess. Beckett, Castle, Esposito, Ryan, and the tactical squad they had assembled followed their plan. Vehicles were parked out of sight awaiting Gorelick's approach. Esposito watched through a scope to alert the force to take positions.

Gorelick carried no visible weapon as he walked casually to Burgess' door and knocked softly. He was admitted by a woman. Beckett spoke into her radio. "We need eyes inside!"

"I've got a view through a window," Esposito reported. "So far, they're just talking. Wait, Gorelick is close enough to get hands on Burgess. This could go down any time."

"Move in!" Beckett ordered.

When Burgess' door was kicked in, he was on the floor and gasping from a blow to the throat, but still alive. Beckett called in paramedics and Bounton Gorelick was none-to-gently taken into custody.

Beckett sipped club soda with a cherry and a swizzle stick in it while she, Castle, Ryan, and Esposito sat at a celebratory table at the Old Haunt. "I can understand why Burgess would have been more than happy to flip on Gorelick," Esposito remarked. "He had to write everything down. He still hasn't gotten his voice back."

"It's like a gymnastics exhibition," Castle commented.

"What?" Esposito asked.

"Burgess flips on Gorelick, Gorelick flips on the Lefcos and everyone tumbles.

"My dad is ecstatic," Beckett reported. "The discovery from the criminal cases against the Lefcos should make his civil suit a slam dunk."

Ryan cleared his throat. "Beckett, Jenny wanted me to ask how you're doing. I think she's feeling a sisterhood thing."

"You can tell her I'm fine," Beckett replied. "Now that this case is over, Castle and I are going to get a weekend away. It will be our first one since our honeymoon."

"Enjoy it while you can," Ryan advised. "Once the baby comes, going anywhere will become a major production."

"I remember," Castle agreed, "although Alexis could survive without almost anything except Monkey Bunky. Come to think of it, that's still true."

Ryan nodded his understanding. "Sarah Grace has a Snoopy. If we don't bring it, she doesn't sleep."

"Enough about babies, already!" Esposito exclaimed exasperatedly.

"You've just been nervous ever since Lanie started cooing over Bennie last year," Ryan taunted. "Sooner or later your time will come."

"I'll go with later," Esposito retorted.

"I think that's it for us," Castle announced. "We're getting an early start tomorrow and my beautiful wife needs her rest. Stay as long as you like. Brian knows the drinks are on the house."

"See you Bro," Esposito said.

"Yeah," Ryan added, "have a good time."

"Got everything?" Castle asked as they loaded up the newly acquired Lexus Hybrid.

"Considering that you haven't told me where we're going, Castle, I think so. Four hours northwest wasn't that much help," Kate complained.

"You are going to love it," Castle assured her.

Kate settled into the comfortable leather seat, turned on her jazz playlist, and closed her eyes. Castle drove steadily and smoothly. "Let me know any time you want to stop," he instructed. "We're not in any hurry."

"I will," Kate agreed.

The air was chilly but crisp and clear, the sky blue with wisps of clouds. Kate found herself suspended in her music just shy of falling asleep. She was taken by surprise when Castle rolled to a stop. We're not there yet, are we?" she asked.

"No," Castle answered, "but I thought this might be fun." Castle walked around the car and offered his hand.

"Oh!" Kate exclaimed, regarding the field alive with orange globes, "it's a pumpkin patch."

"I figured we could get some good ones and decorate them when we get back to New York," Castle explained. "The ones I've seen for sale so far in our neighborhood are pretty pitiful."

They roamed hand in hand in the field with Castle carefully analyzing the pros and cons of each shape of pumpkin for carving. Using the wheelbarrow provided, he finally settled on seven specimens of increasing size, referring to them as Wednesday, Pugsley, Mama, Morticia, Gomez, Fester, and Lurch. The last pumpkin was almost three feet tall and had to be hauled separately. "We'll need a Thing and a Cousin It too," Castle mused," but I think I can do those with an acorn squash and a spaghetti squash, or maybe just spaghetti. I'll have to see what works."

With the pumpkins paid for and stowed in the sizable cargo area of the car, Castle and Kate indulged in marshmallow topped hot chocolate before resuming their trip. As they neared their destination, Kate recognized the route. "We're going to Cooperstown," she noted happily. "I haven't been here in years."

"It's the 75th Anniversary of the Baseball Hall of Fame," Castle informed her. "They've got a new digitally enhanced presentation in the theater. I thought you'd enjoy it."

"Castle, thank you, I know baseball isn't a big thing with you," Kate told him, resisting the urge to kiss her husband in a moving car.

"It's a big thing with you," Castle replied, "and I love to see you smile. It'll give me a model for carving my pumpkins."

Kate shook her head and lightly punched his arm.

Castle pulled into the parking lot of a large inn within walking distance of the Hall of Fame. The inn, designed for couples, rather than full families, featured only 15 large rooms, but they were reminiscent of nineteenth century grandeur. Castle had been surprised that in a lodging clearly designed for couples, they offered rooms with two queen beds and had made sure that their room contained a king. "You want to find lunch?" Castle asked after they had unpacked and used the well appointed bath. "Some of the restaurants around here have great reviews."

"Later," Kate told him. "The hot chocolate's still with me and I had something else in mind."

"Now what would that be, Mrs. Castle?" Rick inquired.

"I thought," Kate replied, sitting cross legged the bed, "we might do a little playing on a field of our own."

"And what would the rules of this game be?" Castle asked.

"I think," Kate purred pulling him down beside her, "we can make them up as we go along."

Easing her back on the bed, Castle ran his hand along the barely imperceptible swell of her belly. Trailing kisses along the path he cleared, he gently pulled her clothes away. Kate reached down, burying her fingers in his hair and pulling his lips back to her mouth. He lowered himself to her carefully, keeping most of his weight on his arms. Kate could feel the warmth of his body above her and breathed the spicy smell of his soap. Needing more, she pulled at the buttons of his shirt, exposing the light sprinkling of hair on his chest. She plunged her hands beneath the fabric, but couldn't remove it without a change in position.

"Castle," she whispered, "I need to feel more of you." He rolled, bringing her above him, their mouths still together. She pushed the offending garment back and pulled it free. They were skin against skin and her seeking fingers found another challenge. She tugged it down and away. She set the pace as her loving hands guided his path to her need. He was gentle, too gentle. She pressed herself to him. "Castle, I won't break and neither will the baby."

Heat rose between them as her every move urged him on, until her final cry was swallowed by his kiss.


	70. Chapter 70

Summer Mix

Chapter 70

Kate lay nestled into Castle's side on the luxurious bed. "Now I'm hungry," she announced.

"What's your pleasure?" Castle asked.

Kate's eyes twinkled. "I think I just had it, but I could go for something fast off the grill."

"If I remember the guide right..."

"And you usually do," Kate teased.

"There's a bar and grill on the way to the Hall of Fame," Castle finished.

By the time they made it to the restaurant, Kate's cravings had changed. Castle grinned as he watched her try to wrap her mouth around a huge Reuben sandwich, the sauerkraut sending drips of tangy liquid down her chin.

"What are you smiling at, Castle?" she demanded.

"I just like watching you enjoy that. Also I think it's good for you. Sauerkraut is pretty high in vitamin C and iron."

"Castle, when did you start memorizing nutritional data?" Kate asked.

Castle's forehead scrunched in thought. "I think I started when Meredith got pregnant with Alexis but I definitely boned up when you suspected you might be expecting."

Kate giggled.

Castle covered his mouth as he fluttered his bountiful eyelashes. "Poor choice of words."

"But accurate," Kate observed.

They finished their meal by splitting a banana split, with Kate taking the lioness' share, and made their way to the Hall of Fame. They decided to start at the first floor and work their way up, stopping first at Baseball at the Movies where Kate admired memorabilia and watched the clips of baseball films on the screen. They moved on to the Bullpen Theater, participating in a trivia game in which Kate was delighted to leave a pouting Castle in the dust. "Castle, you are always such a sore loser," Kate teased.

"Just wait until we visit the science fiction museum they're building in L.A.," Castle grumbled, "then you'll see who's the trivia king."

They continued with an exhibit in the Halper Gallery before making their way to Induction Row where Kate gloried in pointing out factoids about the most recent inductees. They were both taken with the Perez-Steele Art Gallery featuring art on all aspects of baseball. "You know," Castle said, "it's getting to be time to think about Christmas presents. Do you think your father would like a print of something like one of these?"

Kate stood on tiptoe framing his face in her hands and pressing a lusty kiss to his lips, while an "eww," could be heard erupting from a child in a nearby touring family.

"Not that I'm objecting," Castle wondered, "but what was that for?"

"For thinking about that. For being you," Kate answered. "And yes, I think my dad would love it."

They continued through the Plaque Gallery and Castle was disappointed that the interactive exhibits in Sandlot Kids Clubhouse were only for small children. "Castle, maybe in a few years we can come back with a little one you can use as a beard," Kate suggested.

"Yeah," Castle agreed happily. "Then I'll have a candy beard for Halloween, too. Alexis stopped doing it for me the year you had that alien spring out of your chest at my party."

"You deserved that, Castle," Kate insisted.

"The alien yes," Castle conceded, "but not losing my candy beard. I was in withdrawal for a week." Castle looked at his watch. "It's off season, so this place is closing down at five. We just have time for Scribes and Mikemen and maybe to look at the statues. That will finish off this floor and we can come back tomorrow for the other two. You should start thinking about what you want for dinner."

"Castle these days I'm always thinking about what I want for dinner," Kate confessed.

Castle laid a quick kiss on her hair. "And I'm happy to see that you get it."

"It's so beautiful here with the lake, how about one of the places where we can see the water?" Kate proposed.

"There are several good ones," Castle informed her, remembering the guide. "There's one that integrates baseball influences into the food too. It's in the boatyard. They have their own organic herb patch and claim to only use fresh ingredients. Should be good for both of you."

"Castle, are you going to keep this up for all of my pregnancy?" Beckett asked.

"I thought you liked me keeping it up," Castle whispered.

Kate reddened. "I meant the nutrition commentary."

"I will make sure that you and the future Castle get only the best," Castle declared.

Kate rolled her eyes. "It's going to be a long five months."

* * *

Kate rested her head on Castle's shoulder at their patio table as she gazed over the water to the hills beyond. Castle had been both slightly distressed and amused when Kate ordered fried pickles as a starter, but comforted himself when she ordered a fresh made special from the blackboard. Darkness was just beginning to fall as they lingered over after dinner coffee and warm banana bread. Kate didn't even mind anymore that her coffee was decaf. Her body seemed to move quite nicely into high gear without artificial stimulation and she still enjoyed the comfort of the rich brown liquid.

"Just let me know whenever you're ready to go," Castle advised, as he signed the receipt the waiter had left in the plastic folder on the table.

"We should probably go now," she replied. "It's starting to get chilly."

"Here," Castle said, draping his jacket over her shoulders. With an arm across her shoulders, he held her tightly against the warmth of his body until they reached the car. Kate nestled into the jacket inhaling the spicy Castle scent. "The parlor at the inn has a fireplace. We could curl up there for a while," Castle suggested.

"Sounds nice," Kate agreed.

* * *

Castle poked at the logs in the fireplace and was rewarded with the rise of fresh tongues of flame. "Feeling comfy?" he asked as he returned to Beckett on the antique style couch.

"Mmm," Beckett replied snuggling into him. "Too much. I'm going to fall asleep."

"You want to go back to the room?" Castle questioned

"Don't want to get up," Beckett murmured.

"No problem," Castle assured her, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her up the wide formal staircase. He was foiled by the locked door of their room.

"It's all right," Kate told him, reaching her long fingers into his pocket. "I've got the key." She turned the lock and Castle used his shoulder to open the door. He sat on the edge of the bed with Kate across his lap.

"Oh!" Kate gasped.

"What's the matter?" Castle asked. "Did I bump you when we came in?"

"No," Kate explained. "I just felt a little flutter, like butterfly wings. If we hadn't eaten I'd think I was hungry, but that's what Jenny said it would feel like. Castle, I think our baby is kicking."


	71. Chapter 71

Summer Mix

Chapter 71

Castle sprang awake to groans from Kate. "What's wrong?" he asked, voice tight with panic.

"Leg cramp," she explained, trying to flex her foot.

"Let me," Castle urged, cradling a calf in large warm hands to massage away the painful knot. "Better?" he asked as he felt the muscle relax under his fingers.

"Mmm," Kate nodded. "The doctor told me this could happen if I was on my feet a lot. So did Jenny. Kevin was rubbing her legs every night for a while."

Castle remembered that he had done the same for Meredith but thought it best not to mention it. He mentally kicked himself for the hours of uninterrupted roaming of the Hall of Fame the day before. "You want to try a warm bath?" he suggested. "That's usually good for relaxing muscles."

"That sounds really nice, Castle," Kate agreed, starting to get up.

"Hey, I'll run it," Castle told her with a tinge of guilt. "You packed the bubbles you like, didn't you?"

"Yeah, they're by the tub," Kate replied.

Due to the earliness of the hour, Castle found that he had to run the water for a few minutes before the hot water made it's way from the inn's water heater to their room. Finally finding the temperature sufficiently high for his purposes, he filled the huge tub with warm fragrant foam. Returning to the bed, he lifted Kate in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. "Do you need help climbing in?" Castle asked as Kate removed her sleep shirt.

"Castle," Kate chided, "I'm pregnant, I'm not an invalid. Go check your email or something, I'll be fine."

"Okay," Castle conceded, as Kate noticed the hurt clouding his eyes.

"Castle," she called as he turned to leave, "I'll call you when I need you to wash my back."

Castle's eyes crinkled at the corners as his mouth turned upwards. "I'm at your service."

Kate soaked, rewarming the water twice before calling Castle, who had been tweeting replies to fans of _Raging Heat, _while listening for her voice. "You ought to take that off," she suggested, indicating his t-shirt. "It'll get wet."

Castle pulled the garment over his head before picking up the plump terry washcloth provided by the inn and making gentle circles on Kate's back. "Anything else you need me to wash?" Castle asked.

"Now that you mention it," Kate murmured, "you could do my hair."

Castle squeezed a daub of cherry shampoo into his palm and gently massaged it into Kate's silken strands. As he rinsed her locks clean with warm water from the spray attachment, the sweet scent rose, evoking an immediate response, which did not go unnoticed by Kate. She reached back to stroke his wet hand. "Join me Castle. There's room."

Castle slipped off his shorts and carefully climbed behind her, legs open so that she could rest between them pillowing her head against his chest. Under the water, his hands found her warm and waiting. He pulled her to him, the slickness of the water making the joining smooth and effortless. His questing fingers found the center of her arousal and she moved against him under their skillful encouragement. Waves of sensation grew within her, mimicking the movement of the water, until cresting in a burst, leaving them both limp beneath the foam.

The water cooled, eventually urging their exit from the porcelain sanctuary. Castle held Kate's arm as she climbed out and followed as she found the fluffy towels which were at ready. They dried each other and dressed almost in silence, holding as long as possible to the moment.

"Well," Castle began finally, "they serve continental breakfast here, but you'd probably be better off with some protein. There's a little diner that specializes in breakfast. They have homemade corned beef hash, if you're still into corned beef after your Reuben yesterday."

"You're on, Castle," Kate replied.

The diner had only twenty-six seats and Kate and Castle got the last two. Kate went for a plate that featured the hash along with eggs and toast and added a fruit cup, in part to skip a nutrition lecture from Castle, who had decided on a mushroom and cheese omelet for himself. For support, Castle joined Kate in her decaf.

Castle planned out the rest of their tour of the Hall of Fame in his head, careful to include a break at the Grandstand Theater, where Kate would be off her feet for a few minutes. Starting on the second floor, they toured The Game, featuring major exhibits in the history of baseball. Kate was particularly fascinated by Diamond Dreams, the exhibit about women in baseball. Following a rest in the theater, they finished the floor with Today's Game, showing artifacts from each of thirty major league franchises.

When they reached the third floor, Castle was captured by the screen continually playing Abbott and Costello's _Who's on First_. Kate wandered the exhibits while he watched the routine, taking special note of the statistics featured in The Records Room, as they would be of particular interest to her father. Castle rejoined her for Hank Aaron, Chasing the Dream and they continued together to Sacred Ground, the section devoted to ballparks.

"We should go back to the inn and get ready to go back to the city, unless you want lunch first," Castle suggested. "But I thought we could find something on the road."

"That sounds fine, Castle," Kate agreed.

Packing was easy and quick and they were soon on the road. About an hour into the homeward journey, Castle asked the GPS for restaurants on the route. "You choose," he told Kate as the list displayed.

"Hey," she exclaimed, "Kate's Place."

"Must be fate!" Castle declared. Kate's Place was a nondescript building on a gravel side road. Weather beaten wooden picnic tables lined the road in front of a building in need of paint. "Kate, are you sure you want to stop here?" Castle asked doubtfully.

"We're here, Castle," Kate replied. "We might as well look inside."

Miraculous aromas hit them as they opened the door, tinkling a bell. "I'll be right with you," a voice called. A hearty red cheeked woman appeared from a back room, wiping her hands on her apron. "What can I get you folks?" she asked.

"Is that apple pie I smell?" Castle asked.

"Freshly baked," the woman confirmed. "I have home made soup, split pea and chicken noodle, fresh baked bread, house salad, brownies, and pie."

"Sounds perfect," Kate said. "Are you Kate?" she asked the woman.

"No," the woman replied. "I'm Maggie. Kate was my grandmother. She passed on last year, but she lives through her recipes. Her spirit is in everything I make."

Kate and Castle dined outside at a battered table. "Grandma Kate is one heck of a spirit guide," Castle judged. "This soup is incredible. I'm getting some to take back to the loft, A loaf of this bread too."

"Castle," Kate pondered. "wouldn't it be wonderful if our grandchildren get something this wonderful from us?"

Castle smiled and stroked her cheek. "From you, Katherine Beckett Castle, I have absolutely no doubt."


	72. Chapter 72

A/N Another time jump. Kate is pretty big now.

Summer Mix

Chapter 72

"Detective Beckett, my office. You can come too, Mr. Castle," Captain Gates called. "Close the door.

Detective, I know you're going to hate this, but I need to put you on restricted duty. You're behind a desk."

"Captain," Beckett protested, "I'm fine. I just got a check up. I can get you a certification."

"Captain, I'd be carrying her out kicking and screaming if she wasn't," Castle added.

A hint of a smile peeked out from behind Gates' stern aspect. "I'm sure that you'd try, Mr. Castle. But I'm sorry, whether the doctor says Beckett is healthy or not doesn't matter. Department regs apply, and there is some sense in them. A vest won't fit her properly anymore and should she get injured, there are two lives to worry about. Either she's behind a desk or she's out of here."

"Yes sir," Kate agreed grudgingly. "How about my gun?"

"Keep it," Gates told her. "You're still on active duty, you're just restricted. That's all, Detective."

"This sucks, Castle!" Kate complained as they returned to her desk.

Secretly relieved, but fearing for his body parts if he said so, Castle attempted to be of comfort. "Beckett, look at it this way. You get to send Esposito and Ryan out to do all the grunt work. We can still put all the clues together and solve the cases. You do some of your best work in the box and you still can."

"I know Castle," Beckett grumbled, "but somehow it makes me feel less of a cop."

"If anything you're more of a cop," Castle teased, running his hand over her rapidly expanding girth. "But Beckett, here," he said indicating the murder board, "is where you really get it done and you're going to keep doing it. Speaking of which..."

"I didn't do nuthin'" the suspect Ryan and Esposito led across the bullpen protested.

"What happened?" Beckett asked.

"We found this guy leaning over the body," Esposito replied.

"Lanie said the victim had been dead for a couple of hours when we arrived," Ryan added, "but this guy might know something. Homeless, he goes by Terpie."

Castle watched from observation as Beckett sat with Ryan and Esposito in interrogation opposite a cowed Terpie.

"So Terpie," Beckett began, "what were you doing with a dead body?"

"Nuthin'," Terpie repeated. "I just found him. I thought he might have some money or some food on him. He wouldn't need it no more. But these guys arrived before I had time to do anything."

"Is that an area where you usually hang out?" Beckett asked.

"I have a spot down the block," Terpie replied.

"See anyone unusual around?" Beckett inquired

"No," Terpie started to answer when memory struck. "Wait. There was this dude, hadn't been around before. He had a stick with a little wheel on the end of it. He was rolling it along the ground like he was measuring something."

"Was there any work going on in the area for gas lines or anything?" Beckett asked Ryan and Esposito.

"Didn't see any." Esposito responded.

"I didn't either," Ryan agreed, rising and heading for the door, "but I can make some calls and check."

"Are you arresting me?" Terpie asked.

Beckett studied the gauntness of his face. "We're going to hold you for twenty-four hours. We're going to put you with a sketch artist to make a picture of the man with the wheel and you can tell us if you remember anything else."

"You just did that to get him off the street, didn't you?" Castle asked Beckett as Esposito took Terpie to holding.

"He might give us something useful," Beckett answered doubtfully. "He isn't that with it. While he's here he'll be fed and have a roof over his head and I'll see if I can get him a bed somewhere. But Castle, we might have to put him in protective custody. This makes the third kill with this signature. That means we have a serial killer on our hands and Terpie may be the only one who's seen him."

* * *

"So what do we know about our killer?" Beckett asked Castle, Ryan and Esposito as they clustered at the murder board.

"He leaves map pins on every victim," Esposito answered, "whatever that means."

"Mensa members used to wear those on their lapels in the sixties," Castle informed them, "but only yellow ones. These are green, red, and blue. Maybe they indicate locations of some kind."

"That fits with the guy doing measurements," Beckett mused, "Ryan confirmed that he wasn't from the city or any of the utilities, so what is he trying to find?"

"What if we map the crime scenes with pins?" Castle suggested. "Have we got a map?"

"Yeah," Ryan replied, running back to his desk.

After pinning the map to the murder board, Castle inserted pins corresponding to those found on the victims and stared at the outcome in frustration. "I don't see anything. He may be planning more victims to complete his pattern, whatever it is."

"Let's find him before he does," Beckett urged. "Set up canvasses with this sketch around all the murder scenes. Castle and I will research the crime scenes to see if we can find a link."

"Castle, I hate this," Beckett fretted after Ryan and Esposito took off. "I want to go to those crime scenes, see if anything was missed."

"Beckett, for now you're going to have to trust Ryan and Esposito," Castle soothed. "Or if you want to review the video CSU shot, I can do the background research on the crime scenes."

Kate stretched to give Castle a quick kiss. "Thanks, that helps."

Beckett returned to Castle, who was using the computer at her desk, bleary-eyed from staring at crime scene footage in the tech room. "Anything? she asked.

"Yeah, but I don't know if it's relevant or a coincidence. Each one of the victims was killed near a business that's some kind of a franchise. We have an auto parts store, doughnut store, and a convenience store. Originally, they were all mom and pop stores that had to sell out to the competition."

"Castle, that happens all the time," Beckett observed. "It's not much of a connection."

"I know," Castle agreed. "Engulf and devour is pretty much the way of life these days. It's not much of a clue, but it's the only thing I found. You?"

"Nothing," Beckett admitted, "except that all the scenes were on east-west streets and the victims were laid out pointing south. But given that most of the streets in Manhattan are east-west, it could be completely meaningless."

"Maybe the canvasses will turn up something," Castle speculated hopefully. "It's getting late. Are you ready to call it a day?"

"I guess," Beckett answered doubtfully. "Castle, I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to be this kind of cop."

Castle wrapped his arms around her the best he could. "One thing I'm sure of," he whispered into her hair, "is that you'll find a way to make it work."


	73. Chapter 73

Summer Mix

Chapter 73

Awaiting the alarm with dread, Castle spooned with Kate, his hands protectively over the child within. He felt the now familiar kick against his hand and Kate stirred. "Baby's up," she declared sleepily, "so I guess I am too."

"It's almost time anyway," Castle noted, "but you've got time for a long shower if you want one."

"Not really," Beckett replied, "I want to get to the precinct, see what the boys came up with on the canvass."

"You want to shower together, save time?" Castle asked.

Kate laughed. "Castle, you know there is no way that would save time. Rain check?"

"Rain, sun, sleet, or hail," Castle agreed. "You know you get more beautiful by the minute."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I get bigger by the minute, and hungrier, so go make me breakfast!"

"I hear and obey," Castle responded.

Ryan was writing new information on the board when Beckett and Castle arrived. "The guy in the sketch was seen at both other murder scenes with his little wheel," Ryan reported. "Nobody knows who he is though."

"Maybe you should get that sketch out to the media," Castle suggested. "Someone should know who he is."

"We can put it to Captain Gates when she comes in," Beckett replied. "but she may not go for it. The commissioner may not like the idea of having the public know there's serial killer running around the city. We'll also get a lot of false sightings we may not have the manpower to handle."

"They put my picture out fast enough when they thought I killed Tessa and yours out even faster when they thought you'd killed Vulcan Simmons," Castle grumbled.

"Single murders, Castle," Beckett reminded him. "A serial killer causes panic. We should try to figure out what this guy is measuring. Why are the locations so precise?"

"That all works with the pattern theory," Castle offered, "the map pins, the east-west streets, the positions of the body. This guy is trying to show something. But what?"

"Yo!" Esposito called from his desk. "We may have another one." Esposito and Ryan headed for the elevator leaving Beckett and Castle puzzling behind.

"Castle," Beckett said, "I'm going to look at past serial killers and see if there's anything similar. Maybe this guy is some kind of a copycat. Scary as it is sometimes, you're kind of an encyclopedia on killers. Do you remember anything like this?"

Castle shook his head. "Leaving objects of some sort on bodies is pretty common, but I don't remember any correlations with precise geographical patterns. You may find someone I missed. I'm going to research symbols and see if there is anything close to the pattern we've got so far."

"Okay," Beckett agreed.

Beckett rose from her chair to stretch, rubbing absently at the small of her back. Castle was hunched intently over the computer screen at Ryan's desk. In a reversal of recent roles, she rubbed his shoulders. Anything?" she asked.

"Nah! I've got nothing!" Castle replied with disgust. "Did you talk to Captain Gates?"

Beckett nodded. "It was kind of what I expected. No media involvement, at least until we have some solid evidence against this guy. Right now all we have is him in the vicinity with his wheel. He doesn't seem to be a copycat either."

"So what now?" Castle asked.

"I thought we could go see Lanie. She should be back from the scene by now and she may have noticed some similarity between the victims that we missed."

"Hey girlfriend!" Lanie greeted Beckett. "What's up?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Beckett answered.

"COD the same for all victims," Lanie reported, "blunt force trauma. The weapon was a wooden bat, or something like it. I found wood slivers embedded in the scalps of all four victims. I also found blood from previous victims, so it was the same weapon for all of them. They were struck from behind. No signs of any defensive wounds. It looks like they were taken by surprise by a single blow. "

"Any clues from the angle of the blow?" Castle asked.

"Good question, Baby Daddy!" Lanie replied. "The blow angled slightly upwards. Your killer wasn't tall."

"Lanie, did the victims have anything in common?" Beckett asked.

"Pure New York melting pot," Lanie observed. Two males, two females, no racial similarities, different ages, hair colors. About all they have in common is being dead."

"That is very strange for a serial killer," Castle commented. "Usually the victims have some characteristic in common."

"Well if they did, I didn't find it," Lanie told him.

"Looks like we're stuck with the where, not the who," Castle theorized.

"Talking about the who," Lanie interjected, "Have you guys decided to ask about the sex of the baby yet?"

"No," Kate answered. "We're trying not to form too many ideas about the child before it's born. If we start, Castle may have a whole life written before I go into labor."

"That's true," Castle agreed, "but we might ask a little bit ahead so we know what color to paint the nursery and what kind of clothes to buy."

"I'm still not sure about that," Kate put in. "We can always paint the room yellow or green or even white and onesies are pretty unisex."

"You could have pity on poor aunties who want to buy impractical ruffles if it's a girl," Lanie coaxed.

"Or a grandfather who wants to buy a miniature baseball mitt," Castle added.

"Dad can do that anyway," Kate argued. "I had one."

"Well just make sure if you're painting that you use water based," Lanie instructed. "You're not exposing my little angel to toxic fumes."

Beckett sighed and rolled her eyes. "Castle already spent a night researching that, but yes Auntie, safe paint, safe crib, and safe baby seat for the car. Next thing I know you and Castle will be on the phone to Henry Jasper to have a bodyguard ready at the hospital."

"Yeah, I should talk to Henry about that," Castle teased.

"Get out of here, you two!" Lanie ordered.

Beckett's phone buzzed as they were leaving. "It's Espo," she reported. "Our sketch guy was spotted in the area of the last crime scene with his wheel again. This has to be enough to go back to Gates."

"The commissioner still doesn't want the city hearing about a serial killer," Gates told Beckett and Castle, "but he said the picture could be put out there as someone who's a person of interest in a crime."

"That's not going to attract much attention." Castle commented. "The media likes juicy."

"I agree, Mr. Castle," Gates said, "but those are my orders."

"Castle, I know that look," Beckett told him as they left Gate's office. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to put the sketch out to my followers on Twitter and ask them to retweet it. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Just don't say anything about a serial killer or my duty will be worse than restricted," Beckett cautioned.

"I'll be good," Castle promised.

Beckett pored over crime scene photos while Castle monitored his feed. "Find anything?" Castle asked.

Kate just shook her head. "Any interesting tweets?"

"Other than the fans who are madly in love with me?" Castle teased.

"Other than that," Beckett replied dryly.

"No, yes! Castlefan4040 says he met this guy at the park. He doesn't remember his name, but they were fooling around and traded hats. He's still got it!" Castle exclaimed.

"Castle, we might be able to get DNA. Can he bring it in?"

Castle typed quickly. "No," he answered. "He moved upstate, but he says he can ship it overnight. He's going to send us his toothbrush for exclusion. He says he needs a new one anyway."

"This might be our first real break." Beckett tried unsuccessfully to lean over her desk to kiss Castle. Smiling, he leaned over desk to meet her lips with his. "You know, Castle," Kate admitted, "sometimes I forget just how faithful your fans can be."

"There's only one fan whose faithfulness I need," Castle murmured, and leaned over the desk once again.


	74. Chapter 74

Summer Mix

Chapter 74

"Has it come yet?" Castle asked.

"Castle," Beckett chided, "this is the third time I've called the desk sergeant in half an hour. He'll call us when it comes in. What are you doing?"

"Castlefan4040 sent me the tracking number. I'm just checking that it didn't get lost someplace."

"Really Castle, even when it comes, we'll have to take it to Lanie to run. We won't know anything for a while anyway. Try to think about something else."

"That's the problem," Castle replied. "When I think about something else, it's about someone else getting killed."

"Why don't you look at this," Kate suggested, handing him the paper and pointing to a full page ad. "Baby Barn is having a going out of business sale."

"Oh no!" Castle exclaimed. "That's where I bought a lot of my favorite stuff for Alexis. Kate, we need to get over there before the good stuff is gone!"

"We can go at lunch," Kate offered. "Make a list of everything you want to look for."

"I can do that!" Castle agreed enthusiastically, getting to work on his phone.

Beckett sighed and returned to examining the latest set of crime scene photos. The last body had dropped in a completely different part of town, but still on an east-west street and still in front of a franchise, this time a storage company. There had been video surveillance around the storage units and she had been hopeful of seeing something useful, but none of the cameras covered the street. Her phone rang, attracting both her attention and Castle's.

"Castle, your package is here," Beckett announced. Castle sprinted for the elevator and returned quickly with an overnight box. "Castle do you need gloves?" Beckett asked.

"Got some right here," Castle replied, pulling purple nitrile hand coverings out of his pocket with a grin. "I got the upscale ones." Castle hastily forced his hands into his gloves and tore at the pull tab on the box, which promptly broke under his fingers. Wordlessly, Beckett handed him a knife. Castle pulled out a baseball cap with "Joy Juice," a smiling orange, and a smiling carrot, in a star embroidered across the front. There was also a toothbrush in a large sandwich bag. "I don't think I've ever seen Joy Juice," he noted, snapping a picture of the logo. "The hat is consistent with a small person, or at least a small head. Look, the adjustment in the back is on the last hole."

Beckett held out an evidence bag for Castle to drop the hat in. "Let's get this stuff to Lanie and then we can hit the Baby Barn."

Castle quickly kissed her hair. "I like the way you think."

* * *

The atmosphere outside the Baby Barn was one of bustling gloom. The hotdog stand that had been set up outside the store to attract customers was manned by employees not happy to be losing their jobs. The customers were jubilant with the prospect of scoring bargains. Castle bought hotdogs for himself and Kate, who requested extra sauerkraut as well as all the other available condiments. Castle watched her enjoying her creation with amusement as he stuck to spicy mustard.

Castle held his phone with his list, but was easily distracted, exclaiming over items in every aisle. His shopping cart was soon loaded with items in bright primary colors and he had pick-up tickets for both a crib and a bassinet as well as a changing table, baby dresser, baby swing, and playpen. "Castle, you know we're going to have to come back here with a truck," Kate pointed out.

"Actually I have a guy," Castle told her.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course you do."

"Why don't you go back to the precinct and I'll take care of it," Castle suggested. "I'll see you at the loft later."

Kate returned to the loft in early evening to find Castle and Alexis in the nursery extension that had been built adjacent to the master bedroom, assembling a crib while Martha grandly supervised. The other purchases had been set up and arranged, with outfits stowed in the new dresser. Alexis was rereading directions out loud while Castle sucked on a finger that had been caught between "Part B" and "Part C."

"Kate, how do you like it?" Castle asked proudly. "Everything is away from the walls for when we paint. We'll have to figure out what the final position for the crib will be so we can hang a mobile over it."

Kate couldn't help smiling and ran her fingers over her expanding belly while the baby kicked in apparent approval. "It's great Castle."

"Kate, you must be starving," Martha asserted. "Never fear, while these two were playing with screwdrivers I ordered deli. It should be here any minute."

As if hearing her words, the front door buzzed. Kate and Martha lay cold cuts and salads on the table while Alexis and Castle finished the last of their assembly. "Anything new on the case?" Castle asked as they gathered around the table.

"Not much," Kate reported. "Lanie hasn't got DNA results yet. The good news is that there hasn't been another body. The boys have been checking phone and financials on the victims looking for any connections. They've come up with nothing. Ryan was also rechecking traffic cam footage. Nothing there either. I did find something on Joy Juice. There was a couple of sentences about it in an article about mom and pop stores being squeezed out by franchises. It was a juice bar that closed down a few years ago. It got put out of business when a franchise opened down the block. There was no mention of who owned it or exactly where it was. I'm still working on finding out."

"I'll bet you find out it was on an east-west street," Castle speculated. "It's all coming together, Kate. The stores getting replaced by franchises. That has to be some kind of a trigger."

"You're probably right, Castle," Kate agreed. "But we still need to figure out who is being triggered and how he chooses the places and victims he picks. Hopefully Lanie will have something for us in the morning."

"What would you like to do for the rest of the evening?" Castle asked. "Tired?"

"Not that tired," Kate replied. "Did you know it's started to rain?"

"Do you want to cash in your rain check?" Castle asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kate lightly brushed his face. "Castle, let's play ball."


	75. Chapter 75

Summer Mix

Chapter 75

Kate grouchily made her way from the bathroom. "Good morning, to both of you," Castle quipped as she climbed back into bed.

"Castle, you wouldn't think it was funny if you had someone sitting on your bladder all the time," Beckett complained.

"Oh I don't know, It would depend on who it was. You're always welcome to sit on me," Castle invited."It was certainly nice last night."

"It was, wasn't it," Kate agreed. "When the doctor told us we could do it until we had to push the baby out of the way, I wasn't sure I'd want to, but as long as we can get close enough."

"I really don't see that as a problem," Castle asserted. "I have very good spacial sense you know. I understand how things fit together."

"Except maybe for cribs," Kate teased, kissing the finger he had pinched the night before.

"The pieces were mislabeled," Castle protested. "Anyway, I know where everything goes here. You fit just like this," Castle demonstrated pulling her into position to straddle his hips as he propped himself against the padded headboard.

"You know Castle, I think there's a little more to it than that," Kate contended. "Part KC with Part RC."

"You're right," Castle murmured as he brought his lips to hers. "That fits perfectly."

Dawn was just touching the roof of the loft. There was time for gentle heat to grow and they took it, moving slowly, letting the first whispers of need gradually work their way to a shout as they touched. Despite Kate's changing shape, there was no awkwardness, just a melding of bodies as there was a melding of souls. The fit was absolute.

"I just got a text from Lanie," Kate reported as Castle dished out the eggs. "She said we should come by the morgue before we go to the precinct."

"Strange as it seems, that sounds hopeful," Castle commented.

"Your guy is in the system," Lanie announced, as Castle and Beckett arrived, "but so is the guy who sent the toothbrush for exclusion. You two are going to have to figure out what all that means. The profiles are pretty similar."

Lanie brought up the files on her computer. "This is the match to the hat, William Bluestone."

"He was picked up on an assault charge," Beckett noted.

"And this," Lanie continued, is the toothbrush.

"Matt Rayburn," Castle noted. "Arrested for giving false statements to the police."

"He could have been lying about the whole thing, Castle," Beckett cautioned. "We're going to have to check out both of them."

"How if I check out Rayburn and you check out Bluestone?" Castle proposed as they settled at Beckett's desk.

"Castle, I think It might be better the other way around," Beckett contended. "You probably have sympathy for your fan."

"All right," Castle agreed reluctantly.

* * *

Castle got busy on his phone as Beckett perused the screen of her computer. "Rayburn was telling the truth about living upstate, Castle," Beckett reported. "It would be a six hour commute for him to commit a murder. Not impossible, but unlikely. I found a recent photo of him. He's on the masthead of the newsletter of the mystery reader's club up there. He doesn't look like the sketch. Look's like he's who he said he is. But from his record, he likes to spin stories. Maybe he's a would be Richard Castle. That's what got him in trouble. He told some complicated tale to the local police about a robbery. Turned out the people were just moving and the stuff they took out of a house was theirs."

"This guy Bluestone is in the wind, Castle reported. He served a few months on an assault charge and disappeared after he got out. There's no address, not even a post office box. The description matches what Lanie told us, though. He's only five three. I'm checking associations with Joy Juice."

"Guys!" Ryan called across the bullpen. "There's been another one."

"Castle, Beckett asked. "can you go with Ryan and Espo, be my eyes and ears. I'll do more checking on Bluestone and Joy Juice, but those guys should use the picture of him for the canvass. It's better than the sketch."

"I can do that," Castle agreed. "I'll fill the boys in, in the car."

Ryan and Esposito refused to let Castle call shotgun and he did his best to bring them up to date on Bluestone from the back seat, sending data from his phone to theirs, including the most recent photo available. The body was directly across town from where the last one had been found, on the same east-west street. This time the franchise was a soft serve ice cream shop, across the street from a jewelry store. Castle wandered across the street to look. "Hey guys," He reported back, "there's some pretty high class merchandise in there. There might be some surveillance video."

While Ryan went to inquire about obtaining security footage from the jeweler, Castle hunkered down next to Lanie. "Couldn't resist a body, could you, Castle?" Lanie scolded. "You leave your wife by herself at the precinct?"

"I'm just following orders," Castle responded defensively. "She wanted at least one of us here. Anyway, is there anything different about this one?" Castle asked.

"Actually there is," Lanie replied. "I think she might have heard or seen him coming. There are some defensive wounds and it looks like she got some licks in. There's skin under her fingernails. I'll run it and let Kate know as soon as I have something. Now why don't you get your tail back to the precinct?"

"Yeah," I'll find a cab as soon as I check out that ice cream store," Castle replied. "The uniforms didn't tape it off as part of the crime scene and if I go back to the 12th without a strawberry shake, I won't have a tail."

"You do that, Baby Daddy," Lanie agreed. "Keep Mommy fed and tell her that Auntie will call as soon as I can."

Castle returned to the 12th, hands wet with condensation from Kate's shake. He found her head down on her desk. Putting the shake on the desk and drying his hands on his pants, he lightly caressed her temple. "Catching a Katenap?" he asked.

"Just a little dizzy," she answered.

Castle felt the pulse in in her neck. "Your heart is racing," he told her, pulling out his phone. "I'm calling Solomon."

"Castle, you're overreacting." Kate protested.

"Then Solomon can tell me that," Castle rejoined.

"What did he say?" Kate asked as Castle returned the phone to his pocket.

"He wants me to bring you in, now." Castle answered. "Can you walk?"

Kate snorted. "Of course!"

Castle extended a hand to help her up and held her tightly with an arm around her waist.

* * *

Castle paced the waiting room of Dr. Solomon's office until an assistant appeared to show him back to where the doctor waited with Kate, whose face held an expression Castle interpreted as one not of fear, but of anger. "Mr. Castle," Dr. Solomon explained, "I'm putting your wife on disability. Her heart is working too hard. I've given her medication to control it, but right now her stress should be minimized."

"Will she be all right? Will the baby be all right?" Castle asked.

"Barring any other problems, if Mrs. Castle takes her medication and takes it easy, they should both be fine." Solomon replied reassuringly.


	76. Chapter 76

Summer Mix

Chapter 76

Journal of James Beckett

Dear Johanna,

Our daughter is going crazy. She was angry enough when Captain Gates put her on restricted duty, but now her doctor says that she can't work at all. The problem she and Rick wouldn't discuss has finally been revealed to me. That terrible day when the bullet penetrated her heart has come back to haunt her. Under normal circumstances the damage is no real hazard to her, but her pregnancy, especially at this stage, puts extra strain on her heart, so her doctor is playing it safe. I say good for him, but his theory is that if Katie isn't working she'll be under less stress. I'm not sure how well that is working out. Instead of putting her feet up and cooing over baby clothes, Katie insists on staying involved.

Possibly out of fear for what Katie will do if he doesn't, Rick has been going to the 12th to help with the case and reporting back to her. Of course Rick is scared to death to leave Katie alone, so the whole family has been enlisted to stay with Katie whenever he is gone. Alexis is with her when she doesn't have class, much the same with Martha who is not in a play at present. I have been pitching in as well. When none of us are available, Rick has a private duty nurse named Greg McClintock come in. I gather that there is some history between McClintock and Rick and Katie. I met him when we were switching off. He seems to feel that he owes them.

To tell you the truth, for me the situation is somewhat of a Godsend. It has been a long time since Katie and I have had uninterrupted hours to talk. In some ways I'm getting to know our daughter better than I have since she was a little girl. As you might imagine, the thing she wants to talk about most is what she still regards as her case. It is both interesting and frightening. The details have not been released to prevent panic, but New York has a serial killer. They're calling him the map pin killer because of map pins he leaves on the bodies. His motivation appears to have something to do with the closing down of mom and pop stores due to the growth of competing franchises, or at least that's the current theory. Katie believes him to be a William Bluestone and apparently there is DNA evidence to back that up. Lanie found scrapings under the fingernails of the latest victim that match. Rick had also previously obtained some DNA through some help from one of his fans. The problem is that no one knows where Bluestone is. He has been seen at crime scenes, apparently measuring something, but there is no way to predict where he will turn up next. Rick has a feeling that he should be seeing something and it is just beyond his reach. Even though it is certainly not his responsibility, he is frustrated. He certainly wants to solve the case for Katie's sake, but he also wants to understand the killer's story and will be indefatigable until he does.

When Katie and I haven't been talking about the case, we've had a chance to discuss other things. She is nervous about the baby. We all are. But she has hopes and plans for the future. I don't know that I've seen much of this side of her since you were taken from us. Do you remember how when she started in pre-law at Stanford she used to talk about being the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? That excitement disappeared when she dedicated herself to solving your murder and became a cop. It finally began to re-emerge when she and Rick began to plan a life together and especially when she finally put that scum Bracken in jail. Now it is growing. When Katie took the ill fated job in D.C., it was a preview to her ambitions beyond being a member of the NYPD, but now I see something else beginning to blossom. She has started to explore the possibility of going to law school. As I understand her intent, it is not to practice as you did and certainly not as I do. Through your murder, Katie has become aware of the levels of corruption existing in our political system. Perhaps because it has touched her so personally, she wants to do something about it. I believe her intention is to go to law school with the intent of seeking political office. She is her mother's daughter. She is a crusader and I believe that she wants to see what she can do to clean up the world in faster way than criminal by criminal.

I applaud her plan. Not only is it admirable, but it would keep her from running around the city with a gun everyday. I asked her if she has discussed this with Rick. Apparently the subject has come up, but in an entirely different context. At some point they had a suspect who believed himself to be a time traveler. He predicted that Katie would become a senator, that she and Rick would have three children and that Rick would stop writing mystery stories and write real literature.

Katie didn't believe the man's story. Nevertheless, I believe what the man said may have planted a seed somewhere in her consciousness. As with most outlandish things, Rick was much more accepting of his future history. I think he may be getting bored with the sort of writing he is doing now, even if Nikki Heat is based on Kate. He is constantly procrastinating, which is not the sort of behavior one would expect from someone who is truly devoted to what he does. He seems to get more satisfaction from police work. I know that he believes he is making a difference in people's lives by what he does with Katie. I can see a future in which Rick writes more deeply and seriously. I think he'd enjoy it, possibly more than what he is doing now.

I understand that Lanie and Alexis are planning a baby shower for Katie. I believe that they want to make it as close to her due date as possible, something about not putting a jinx on the birth. Alexis finds that silly but Lanie is insisting. An interesting thing is that they will be holding it at Katie's old apartment, now occupied by Alexis' friend Sara El-Masri. That puts it completely away from anywhere Katie would be going and easy to keep under wraps. Alexis and Sara are good friends, having the bond of a shared ordeal when they were abducted together. Sara seems to be happy to support Alexis' excitement at the arrival of a sister or brother. I can't imagine what presents are left to buy for a shower. Rick, in his usual fashion, went totally overboard and practically bought out a baby store. Still I'm sure Katie's friends will figure out something. It will require some guesswork. Katie still refuses to learn the gender of the baby. Rick really wants to know, but he is honoring her wishes, at least for now. If his past behavior is any indication he will try to find some way to sneak around and find out. Lanie may join him. Actually, I'd like to know too.

Forever Love,

JB


	77. Chapter 77

Summer Mix

Chapter 77

"What happened?" Kate asked before Castle had finished closing the loft door.

"We had another one," Castle told her soberly, "where Joy Juice used to be. Otherwise it was the same. We're still no closer to Bluestone, but I have a feeling that this murder is the most important clue, if only I could see the puzzle. Anyway, how are you?"

"Huge," Kate replied, "and restless. I want this to be over."

"The case?" Castle asked.

"The case, of course, but I want it to be time for our daughter to come."

Castle's eyes widened. "Our daughter, wait you found out?"

"Yeah, Solomon's nurse called with my latest test results, which were fine by the way. She mentioned it and then when I was surprised, she apologized. She said last time she talked to you in the waiting room you acted as if you knew, so she assumed I did too. How did you find out?"

"I didn't," Castle admitted. "When I talked to the nurse I knew I had a fifty-fifty chance of being right, so I acted like I knew and she confirmed it. I'm sorry. I couldn't stand it anymore."

"It's all right, "Kate confided, "I was ready to know. But now I'm starting to build scenarios in my mind. I'm beginning to think like you, about how I'm going to keep the boys at bay. I don't want her to hook up with a Rogan O'Leary."

Castle laughed and pulled her close. "I think we have a few years before we have to worry about that."

"Show me what you have from the case. Maybe we can build theory together," Kate suggested.

Castle spread a map on the table. "Here's the latest layout of map pins. We've been trying to find more on Joy Juice, but there is almost nothing. It looks like it was a sole proprietorship, so it just went through an individual 1040, no business records. From the logo on the hat we figure a specialty drink of orange and carrot juice." Castle laid a blow up of the logo on the table.

"Kate pointed. "Look Castle," there's a registered symbol on that logo.

"That means there would be a record of it with the patent and trademark office," Castle continued excitedly, running to his office for his laptop and bringing it back to the table. "The trademark is expired," he reported after running a search. "It belonged to - Beckett the name of the owner wasn't Bluestone, it was Starr, Ruth Starr. That matches with the star around the orange and the carrot in the logo. Wait a minute!" Castle reached for the map returning to his desk to grab a pencil and a ruler. Very carefully he drew a six pointed star with the points at the map pins indicating the murder scenes, with one point unpinned. The star was perfectly symmetrical. He pointed to the center of the star. "Kate, this is where Joy Juice was. He has one more point to go. That will be the site of the next killing. I'll call Ryan and Esposito. They can have Tory plot this out and get an exact address for the next murder. Maybe we can stake it out and prevent it."

Kate leaned in to kiss Castle as he grabbed for his phone, then ran her hands over her belly. "I don't know who's more excited, me or the baby."

"She's a chip off the old block," Castle laughed as he swiped his phone. "Ryan has some family function with Jenny's family tonight, but Espo is putting Tory on it and he'll set up surveillance," Castle reported. Maybe we'll catch Bluestone out there with his little wheel."

"The waiting is going to drive me nuts, even more than it already has," Kate complained.

"Then we need to distract you," Castle proposed. "Are you all caught up on Temptation Lane?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course, like I had something better to do."

"You want to go out somewhere?" Castle asked. "We should probably take Alexis too. She's been with you all day, hasn't she?"

"She has," Kate confirmed, "but she said she and Sara El-Masri have some sort of project they're working on tonight. We'll be on our own. How about the Angelika?" Kate asked.

Castle checked his movie app. "Double feature, the original _The Day the Earth Stood Still_ with Michael Rennie and _War of the Worlds_ with Gene Barry. I'd need to turn my phone off, though."

"You can put it on vibrate," Kate informed him. "That's what I always did. It doesn't disturb anyone and if something happens you just go to the lobby and answer or call back. We can sit on the end of the row."

"I don't see you getting any further than that anyway," Castle teased.

"Just for that, I'm eating most of the popcorn," Kate retorted.

"As if you didn't anyway," Castle rejoined, "or little what's-her-name does."

* * *

Kate drowsed on Castle's shoulder in the cab on the way back from the theater. He was pleased to feel her relaxation as she had been swept away by the old style science fiction. Much as he loved the CGI that created the miraculous effects in modern movies and television, he was amazed by the ability of the old movies to transport without access to modern technology. It reinforced the importance of good story telling, encouraging him to try even harder with his current book, on which he was woefully behind. Kate should sleep easily when he got home and he could write while she did.

Things did not work out exactly as Castle had expected. Gusts of air from a cold front coming in as they approached the loft brought both Castle and Kate to full alertness. "Cold?" Castle asked.

Kate smiled and shook her head. "Cold is something I never am anymore Castle, you know that."

"I should, considering how often I wake up with the covers on the floor," Castle agreed. "The cold air is bracing though. You want some hot chocolate when we get upstairs?"

Kate licked her buttery lips. "Love some.

Castle, you sprayed your whipped cream too high," Kate observed as they sipped from warm mugs. "You have some on your nose. I'll get it." Kate leaned in to kiss the white foam away, quickly moving to the sweetness on his lips."

"Kate," Castle cautioned. "We shouldn't, I'm afraid it'll … you know."

"I miss you. We can just cuddle, Castle," Kate coaxed.

Castle laughed. "When did I hear that before? Oh right, back when you were supposed to hate me."

"Castle, you did get under my skin. You still do," she confided, slipping her hand under his shirt. "There are things we can do. If it makes you feel better I'll put on that watch you bought me that shrieks if my heart rate goes too high."

Castle pushed the hair from her face and stroked her cheek. "Deal."


	78. Chapter 78

Summer Mix

Chapter 78

"Have they seen any sign of Bluestone yet?" Kate asked as Castle phoned from the 12th.

"Nothing," Castle replied. "Ryan and Esposito have two teams on it and they'll be switching off with one of them in a little while. I'll be going with them."

"Castle, if Bluestone shows up, you stay back. Our daughter needs her father - in one piece."

"I'll behave myself if you do the same," Castle promised. "What are you doing today?"

"We're painting the nursery," Kate replied and by we I mean Alexis and Sara. I'm supposed to supervise. But with all the primary colors you bought, we really can't do pink."

"You've never been big on pink anyway," Castle commented, "more like black leather."

Kate laughed. "True, although I really like purple, but that won't work either. Sara is going to paint the outlines of some characters on the wall. One of them is going to be a fairy princess on a Harley. She showed me the sketches. She's actually very artistic. Alexis is going to help fill them in and Alexis will let me help as long as I don't try to climb a ladder or stand too long. Do you know how bossy my step daughter is?"

Castle chortled. "Yeah, she's been raising me for years. It's a good thing I like bossy women."

Castle could almost hear Kate's smile through the phone. "Yeah, I guess it is. Oh, Sito's waving at me now. I'll call you when we get there."

Kate adjusted her maternity overalls. It was worrisome to have Castle in the field without her and frustrating not to be in on a potential take down. She trusted Kevin and Javi both to catch a killer and to protect Castle, but still... Sighing she joined Alexis and Sara in the nursery where fantasy filled walls were already starting to take shape.

Castle was bored. He had phoned Kate to tell her that he was at the stake out and then sat. Ryan had been more than happy to fill him in on Sarah Grace's newest antics as a toddler, until Esposito groaned in disgust. "What's the matter, Sito?" Castle asked. "Don't you like baby stories?"

"More like Lanie likes them too much," Esposito answered. "Between Kevin, Jenny, and Beckett, she's getting way too many ideas. The thing is, she doesn't even want to talk about marriage but she's always talking about babies. It's a definite mood killer."

"Well she is a doting auntie to Kate's and my daughter and she isn't even born yet. Once the baby comes, Lanie should have someone to fuss over," Castle speculated.

Esposito shook his head. "I'm not sure if that's better or worse. Hey look!" A short figure appeared rolling a wheel along the ground at the end of a stick. "That's our boy!"

Ryan spoke briefly to the other team before he and Esposito left the car, ordering Castle to stay behind. It took every ounce of control Castle could muster to obey, but he did, hurriedly calling Kate.

"Castle, tell me what's happening, everything," Kate ordered.

"Esposito ordered Bluestone to stop, and he did," Castle narrated. "He dropped the wheel and just stood there. Espo cuffed him and Ryan gave him his rights. They put him in the surveillance team's car to take him to the 12th. Espo and Ryan are coming back to the car now. I'll call you when we get to the 12th.

Castle returned to the 12th to find Beckett, still in her overalls, waiting in Gates' office. Gates spoke to Castle outside the door. "I told Detective Beckett she could watch from observation," Gates told Castle. "I figured she'd be more upset if she couldn't, Gates whispered."

"You're probably right about that," Castle agreed softly.

It seemed strangely surrealistic to Kate to watch through the window while Castle, Esposito, and Ryan conducted an interrogation. Bluestone seemed eerily calm, almost detached."Why did you do it, Bluestone?" Esposito asked. "We know you did it. Your DNA was found under one of the victim's fingernails. You and your little wheel were seen at all the murder scenes. Why?"

"It had to be done," Bluestone answered softly, almost in a monotone. "They're taking over everywhere. I'm fighting against Goliath, like David did, making his star, my mother's star. She took back her star after my father left. She had a place of her own. Then they came and drove her out, sent her to her death. So I redrew her star with the people who support Goliath. I took them from the crossroads. I sent them straight to Hell. I need to finish. There's one more point. I need to go back to the field of battle. You are God's warriors. You need to take me back now."

"Sorry," Ryan said softly, "you're not going anywhere."

Bluestone tried to rise from his seat, struggling against his cuffs. "I need to finish! Goliath will crush us all!"

"We'll send some other warriors to fight," Ryan soothed. "Now you need to stay with us."

"We'll get a psych eval for him," Ryan told Kate and Castle as Esposito led Bluestone to holding.

"It's sad," Kate mused. "He really thought he was doing the right thing."

"That's what made him so dangerous," Castle observed. "Well at least the case is closed. Are you ready to go home now?"

"Yeah," Kate replied. "I left before the nursery was done. I really want to see how it looks."

"I do too," Castle agreed, "especially the fairy princess on the Harley."

Alexis and Sara had removed the tarps and were cleaning brushes when Castle and Kate arrived. The walls were alive, not only with a fairy princess, but a unicorn decked out as a police horse, and a corner filled with fanciful and attentive woodland creatures gathered around a wizard who was reading a storybook to them.

"Castle, do you think that fairy princess looks a little like me?" Kate asked.

"Hmmm. Pointed ears, gold hair, leather jacket and self satisfied expression, the spitting image," Castle quipped. "You think the wizard looks like me?"

"Well he has blue eyes and his mouth is open," Kate laughed. "Oh!"

"What?" Castle asked.

"Castle I think my water just broke."


	79. Chapter 79

Summer Mix

Chapter 79

"Kate are you sure?" Castle asked trying to hold his panic at bay. "Maybe you just..."

"Peed a little?" Kate finished. "I'm pretty sure, but it's not like what you see on TV. I'm wet but obviously there was no gusher on the floor. Do you see anything on my overalls?"

"Just a little bit," Castle replied hopefully.

"I'm going to check," Kate said heading for the bathroom.

"You need any help?" Castle asked.

"Castle much as I enjoy having you take the pants off me, I can still get them down by myself. Just wait for me." Kate closed the bathroom door.

"Well?" Castle asked anxiously as she emerged a few moments later.

"It's not pee," Kate reported.

"Oh God!" Castle exclaimed. "Where's your bag? You have a bag packed right? I need to get the car."

"Castle, relax!" Kate ordered. "I'm the first timer here, and I'm not even having contractions. My bag is in the front closet where it's been for a week, and I can go to the garage with you. It's not that far."

"What's going on?" Alexis asked as Kate and Castle came out to the living room.

"Kate, she's um, she's gonna," Castle stammered.

Kate rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a smile. "My water broke. We're going to the hospital."

"I'm going too!" Alexis insisted. "That's my sister."

"Alexis, we can follow them in my car," Sara suggested.

Castle found admitting to be mercifully quick, as Dr. Solomon was on staff and Kate's insurance was already on file. As Kate was taken to be examined, he paced, despite Alexis' attempts to calm him down. After what seemed like hours, a nurse appeared. "Mr. Castle, we've confirmed that Mrs. Castle's water did break, but she isn't in labor. We do expect that contractions will start on their own and we will be monitoring her very carefully. I'll take you up. You can sit with her."

"Dad, I'll call Gram and Mr. Beckett. You go to Kate," Alexis urged, although Castle required no urging.

Kate was sitting up in bed but was hooked to both a fetal monitor and with Dr. Solomon's consistent caution, a heart monitor as well. Castle pulled up a chair to take her hand. "You okay?" Castle asked.

"Better than you from the look of things," Kate replied. "They're just waiting for something to happen. They told me it could take a while, but if contractions don't start Dr. Solomon may induce or if he thinks there's a risk to my going through labor, he may do a caesarean."

"So you want to watch TV, Netflix, what?" Castle asked, trying to be useful.

"Castle, I've had more than enough of that while I've been stuck in the loft." Kate complained. "How about if you tell me a Castle story?"

Creases appeared beside the bridge of Castle's nose as he worried that he might get writer's block at the worst possible time. Then a story began to form. "_The small aircraft was buffeted by wind and rain,_" Castle began.

"Oh Castle," Kate groaned, "you're not going to tell me it was a dark and stormy night."

"Kate," Castle replied in mock offense. "you wound me! It was daytime. If I may continue."

_Jorge could feel the yoke vibrating under his hands as ominous creaking sounds emanated from the wings, __and__ turned to Maria, his new bride. "I'm going to have to find a place to put her down," he told her, trying to keep the edge of panic from his voice._

"_Where?' Maria asked. "There's nothing down there but water." _

"_We were on the trajectory for the island. We still should be," he said, hoping to hell it was true. The plane plunged beneath the clouds. A small mass of land appeared in the water, but as they approached, all that was visible was a thick canopy of green. Jorge strained to find an opening._

"_There!" Maria yelled, pointing to the right side of the plane._

"_I see it!" Jorge answered, using all his strength to turn toward the break in the trees. The little plane descended too quickly, green branches passing within inches of the wings as Jorge brought down the wheels. The plane hit the ground hard enough to rebound and hit again. Jorge bore down on the brakes, staring in horror at the wall of trees that bounded the small meadow. The plane slowed and stopped, a hair's breadth from impact. "Are you all right?" Jorge asked._

_Maria nodded."You?"_

_Jorge nodded back. "When the storm lets up we can look around and see if we can figure out where we are."_

_Rain pounded the shivering metal of the plane for another hour, as Jorge ran scenarios in his head. Neither of their phones had bars and there was no response on the radio. From their current position it would be impossible to take off again. If he and Maria were in the wrong place, if they couldn't find signs of civilization, he would have to set his distress beacon and hope for the best. Finally the clouds began to clear._

_There was a knock at the hatch. Gratefully, Jorge opened it, blinking in surprise. What Jorge supposed to be a man, despite hair and skin the color of a grape Popsicle, stood in front of the opening seemingly suspended in in mid air. The man doffed his top hat, also purple, and bowed. "Welcome to Lexicon."_

"Lexicon? Really Castle, a dictionary?" Kate interrupted.

"Whose story is this?" Castle retorted. "I'm a writer and I'm calling it Lexicon."

"_I am greeter guide Rupert Montrose," the purple man introduced himself. "How may I be of service?"_

"_I have a concussion," Jorge thought to himself. "This can't really be happening."_

"_If you have any doubts to your health or sanity," Rupert assured him, "I am quite real. We don't often have immigrants through the rift, but often enough that I'm familiar with your disorientation. I need to take you to the reception center. From there we can figure out how you will fit into our society"_

_Maria had joined Jorge at the hatch. He held her tightly, with an arm around her waist. "We don't need to fit into your society," Jorge protested. "We need to get out of here. How do we go back through what did you call it, the rift?"_

_Rupert held his top hat to his chest and shook his head in sympathy. "I'm sorry," he told them. "You can't. The rift is a one way journey."_

"Castle," Kate interrupted again, stroking her tightening belly. "I feel a contraction. I think it's starting."

Castle looked at the readout from the monitor where the change was clearly visible. He pushed the call button and tightly grasped Kate's hand.

A nurse arrived quickly and a glance at the monitor told her what was taking place. "This is good," she informed them cheerily. "Labor has started on it's own. We'll keep monitoring for fetal or maternal distress. If there's an alarm I'll see it at my station. How is the pain?" she asked Kate.

"Not much yet," Kate replied. "I'm fine."

"Well don't hesitate to call if it gets too bad," the nurse instructed. "This is your first child, isn't it?"

Kate nodded.

"Then it will probably be quite a while yet," the nurse surmised.

"Can I ask you a favor?" Castle asked. "Can you sit with my wife for a couple of minutes while I update my daughter?"

The nurse looked at him in confusion.

"Previous marriage," Castle clarified. "I won't be long."

"No problem," the nurse agreed.

Castle found Alexis and Sara in the maternity waiting room. "You might want to go," he suggested. "The nurse seemed to think it would take a long time."

"I'm staying," Alexis insisted, with Castle family stubbornness.

"I'll stay with her," Sara assured Castle. "You go back to your wife."

Castle returned to the room and the nurse slipped out. "Now what?" he asked Kate.

"Castle," Kate urged, "strange as it is, keep telling me your story."


	80. Chapter 80

Summer Mix

Chapter 80

"Okay, getting back to Jorge and Maria," Castle said, obliging Kate's request to continue the story.

_Looking down, Jorge could see that Rupert was not as he had first appeared, standing in mid-air, but on a hovercraft of almost transparent material. Rupert bid Jorge and Maria to join him in the strange vehicle. Their conveyance skimmed above the trees until Jorge could see a settlement. Most of the buildings were not the expected rectangular shapes or even domes, but featured modules jutting out in unexpected places in a wild array of colors. Some were the purple shade of Rupert's skin, but there were wild shades of orange, magenta, blue, and green. To Jorge, the scene could have been plucked from the pages of a comic book. At the center of the settlement was a purple dome, its surface so smooth it shone in the sunlight. Rupert piloted the craft towards the dome, and as they approached, a section slid open allowing the craft to enter._

_Rupert landed smoothly in an area holding several similar vehicles. He signaled Jorge and Maria to disembark with him and led them through a wide passageway leading to the center of the dome. Two women and two men, all of the same hue as Rupert, sat behind a large proscenium. The men wore tall cylindrical hats. The hair of the women glowed with a luminescent dust, as if it had been washed in starlight. One woman, with an orange pendant the shape of a leaf around her neck, spoke. "So these are the new arrivals. Introduce yourselves," she ordered._

"_My name is Jorge Gonzales," Jorge began hesitantly, "and this is..."_

"_She can speak for herself," the woman interrupted._

_Maria squared her shoulders and threw back the long black hair that had wandered forward to cover her breasts._

Kate smirked. "Do you want me to go on?" Castle asked.

"Go ahead," Kate encouraged. "I knew you'd have to get breasts in there somewhere."

Castle cleared his throat. "As I was saying..."

"_I am Maria Conchita Morales Gonzales," Maria proclaimed proudly. "Jorge and I just got married."_

"_Well, that will make things simpler," Orange Leaf commented. "You will only need one domicile. Now what can you do?"_

"_I'm a pilot," Jorge began to explain._

"_Something useful," Orange Leaf interrupted again. "Can you grow things? Fix things? Build things? Prepare food?"_

"_I'm a fair carpenter," Maria responded._

"_And I can cook," Jorge added, "but I don't know what you eat here."_

"_Well, you'll find out soon enough." Orange Leaf responded. "Rupert, find them some quarters and they can begin training."_

_Rupert ushered Jorge and Maria back to the hovercraft. They zoomed over the strange amalgam of buildings until Rupert set down in front of a tiny dome. "This will be your place, at least for the present," he informed them. "you will find the essentials inside. I'll give you some time to get acclimated and then return to take you to your training stations."_

Kate suddenly gripped Castle's hand tightly. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"The contractions are getting harder." she explained, wincing slightly.

"Do you want to call the nurse?" Castle asked. "They can give you something."

Kate shook her head vigorously, in typical bad ass Beckett fashion. "It's not that bad yet."

"Hey," Castle urged. "You don't have to tough this out. You have nothing to prove to me or anyone else."

"Castle," Kate grumbled, "just go on with your story"

_Jorge and Maria explored their assigned space. Maria was relieved to discover things that resembled a toilet, sink, and shower. A cupboard contained changes of scrublike clothes, in a blue-green hue. There was no kitchen and nothing that looked like food, or even a place to keep food. There was a triangular bed, of an unidentifiable spongy material and some sort of view screen. The view screen had no buttons or switches that Maria could find, but lit when she touched it, displaying icons, none of which looked familiar._

_The whoosh of the hovercraft caught their attention as Rupert returned to fetch them. Jorge was delivered to the largest kitchen he had ever seen. Unfamiliar plants were stored in bins, along with powders and pellets. Huge pots steamed with not unattractive aromas. Rupert introduced him to a large round man in a hat like a pie pan."This is master chef Gunion Groll. He will be your supervisor and teacher. With that, Rupert left to take Maria to her post._

_Maria found herself in a massive factory. Modules of every shape and hue were assembled by a hive of busy workers. The tools looked familiar, if the materials didn't. There were objects that clearly served as hammers, saws, and chisels. Rupert introduced her to master builder Brina Bumby. Citing other duties, he informed her that he would return at the end of the day to deliver her back to her quarters._

"Wow!" Castle exclaimed as Kate almost welded his fingers together. "Maybe you want to call the nurse now! Doing her best to take a cleansing breath, Kate nodded.

After checking Kate, the nurse summoned Dr. Solomon who looked carefully at the chart and the readouts."You and the baby seem to be doing just fine," he told Kate.

"Easy for you to say," she replied tightly as another contraction began.

Solomon smiled a little and continued. "At present, I don't see an indication that a caesarean will be required, but you're not even close to full dilation, so that may change at any time. I can start an epidural and you'll be much more comfortable while we see what develops."

"Come on Kate," Castle coaxed, flexing his hand dramatically. "I need my fingers intact to type with. I'm behind enough on my book as is."

"All right, Castle, for the sake of your literary career," Kate agreed.

Castle was banished to a far corner of the room while the doctor worked, which he actually preferred to watching a needle being inserted into Kate's back. With efficiency born of experience, Solomon was finished quickly and Castle was back by Kate's side.

"Are you good?" Castle asked.

"Yeah" Kate replied, "except that you left me hanging with your story."

"Can't do that," Castle smiled.

_Days passed quickly for Jorge and Maria. Jorge learned the identities of all the strange foodstuffs in the massive kitchen. He also learned that the inhabitants of the settlement ate in several large dining halls supplied by the efforts of him and his fellow workers._

_Maria found that most of her work was in building additions for the more high ranking members of society. While workers like she and Jorge had become, spent the majority of their time working, except for meals and some simple amusements provided on their view screen in the evening, the modules she made provided space for the elite to study music and art as well as enjoy a multitude of entertainments with much more advanced screens._

_The lack of amenities was not entirely without an upside. Jorge and Maria found themselves growing closer, exchanging thoughts and memories never before shared. Without other distractions, their physical relationship blossomed as well, even for newlyweds. Nights were spent in each others' arms finding new ways to please and titillate._

_With no drugstore to purchase a test, it took Maria a couple of months to be absolutely sure, but she and Jorge came to know that there would be an addition to their family. As the situation became obvious to Brina Bumby, she consulted with the ruling class. Maria and Jorge were assigned slightly larger quarters, allowing enough space for a cradle and Maria was given permission to construct one of scrap materials during breaks in her regular duties._

_Though busy with her duties and still greatly in love with Jorge, Maria grew more and more melancholy. Though held lovingly in the circle of Jorge's arms, she could not stop the flow of tears. "Jorge, I want to go home," she confessed. "I miss my brother and my sister. I miss my friends, and as much as I love you, I want my mother with me for the birth of this baby. The medic here has been fine, but he treats me like livestock. I don't want to bring our child into a world where we are cogs in a machine to serve some privileged few. I can't even stand thinking about it."_

_Jorge stroked the midnight length of her hair, made even more beautiful by the glow of pregnancy. "Maria, you know we can't."_

"_We only know what Rupert told us," Maria argued. "maybe that's their official story. Maybe that's how they get their slave labor. That doesn't make it the truth."_

_Jorge considered what Maria had said and pondered the possibility she was right._


	81. Chapter 81

Summer Mix

Chapter 81

"Sorry," the nurse interrupted, "I need to check your dilation and your blood pressure."

Castle, beginning to get a bit hoarse from storytelling, grabbed a drink of water while the nurse did her work, but returned quickly to retake Kate's hand.

"Eight centimeters," the nurse announced, "you're most of the way there."

"You better hurry up with your story, Castle," Kate teased. "I don't want to have this baby on a cliffhanger."

"Continuing," Castle agreed.

_Unable to bear Maria's sadness, Jorge resolved to find out if there actually was a way home. He began by trying to converse more with his fellow kitchen workers. It was difficult to do, as Gunion Groll discouraged discussion, insisting that it kept the cooks from working as hard as they might, but Jorge did his best to find opportunities. The cooks could never use the dining hall en masse, as it would interfere with food delivery, but the were occasionally allowed to go in pairs. Even though the time allowed to him was short, Jorge made it a point to strike up conversation there with his workmates as well as with anyone else at the long tables. Most didn't want to discuss the the years had passed, if they ever had a dream of going home, it had slowly died. But Jorge kept trying._

_One afternoon, Gunion Groll changed the hour at which Jorge was allowed to take his repast. There were no familiar faces on the benches, but there was one that drew Jorge's attention. The man was old, with years of hard work etched on his face. But the eyes in the face were bright, almost as if flashes of fire had been trapped within. Picking at his food, the man, who gave his name as Gabriel, seemed willing to talk. "Coming through the rift," he recalled. "I remember it so well. I was on my way to meet my fiancée, we were to be married that day."_

"That sounds familiar, Castle," Kate put in.

"Hey, I'm working on the fly here," Castle responded. "Cut me some slack. Anyway..."

_Gabriel continued. "The wind and the storm came up out of nowhere. It felt as if the wings of my Piper Cub were about to shear right off. It seemed like a miracle that I found a place to land at all. Then I thought perhaps I was in Heaven when Rupert showed up."_

"_Rupert was greeter/guide when you came too?" Jorge asked, astonished._

"_Oh yes," Gabriel replied. "If these people age at all, I certainly haven't noticed. I think they may be immortal. There are no purple children, at least none that I've seen. They may not need replacements for their own kind. They just need replacement slaves. That would be us."_

"_Have you ever heard of anyone going back, of the rift opening the other way?" Jorge asked._

"_The official story is that it can't happen," Gabriel declared._

"_But that's not what you believe, is it?" Jorge asked._

"_No," Gabriel confessed. "And I have reason. If these people need slaves, you would think that they would encourage breeding, but they don't. In fact when one of our women becomes pregnant, some of the purples become downright nervous. I've heard whispers."_

"_What kind of whispers?" Jorge asked._

_The bell clanged loudly signaling the end of the period and Jorge was forced to leave before Gabriel could tell him anything else. That night, Jorge related what he had heard to Maria. "There must be a way back!" Maria exclaimed. "And it must have something to do with the birth of a child. I'm going to see if I can get something out of Briny. These days she seems almost protective of me, almost maternal. Today, she actually slipped me a snack, the first one I've ever had since we've been here."_

"_She may just be trying to keep your strength up so you can keep working," Jorge suggested cynically._

"_Maybe," Maria mused, "but I don't think so. I have to try to see what I can find out."_

_The next day, Maria took her break as close to Briny Bumby's station as she could. "How are you?" Briny asked._

"_Homesick," Maria replied. "I want this baby born in its own world."_

_Maria could see thoughts warring behind Briny's indigo eyes. "That's just not possible," Briny told her. "But other possibilities exist. Go to your station now and watch your screen tonight."_

_That night, Maria and Jorge anxiously watched their screen for any hint of a clue. What they had come to know as a library icon appeared. It indicated the appearance of one of the stories posted every so often to provide simple amusement to the workers. Maria doubted that it could be what Briny had been referring to, but touched it with the tip of her finger anyway._

_The narrative appeared. It was the story of a magic tunnel to a new land. The tunnel brought much needed help to a civilization that was dying. The story told of the creation of wonderful and miraculous things, of the rebirth of art and culture, but the tunnel only went one way. "Looks like propaganda," Jorge commented reading over Maria's shoulder. Ignoring him, Maria kept reading. The story told of a chosen couple, who would have a child. That child would be the bridge between worlds opening the tunnel in both directions. The story ended as an idyllic tale of the growth of two civilizations helping and supporting each other._

"_Jorge," Maria wondered, "could Briny have sent us this story? Could she be telling us that our baby will open the way home?"_

"_I don't know," Jorge answered. "It could just be a story. I'm going to try to find Gabriel again. He may know."_

_Jorge found that Gunion Groll was constantly shifting his eating period. It seemed as if it might even have been a deliberate attempt to limit his communication with other workers. Finally, after a week, he found himself near Gabriel again. There was no time for hesitation. Jorge slid onto a bench next to the older man. "There is a story," Jorge began._

"_About a child opening a tunnel," Gabriel finished._

"_Yes!" Jorge exclaimed, drawing stares from those around him. "I have to know," he asked, almost in a whisper. "My wife will be giving birth soon. Can the birth of a baby, our baby, open the rift back home?"_

"_I don't know," Gabriel replied. "I do know that twice since I've been here, I've known about couples having children and those families never being seen again."_

The nurse came into the room to check on Kate. "You're at nine centimeters," she reported. "You're very close now, but your heart rate is rising. So far it's within the limits your doctor has allowed but we'll have to watch carefully.

"Castle, this could be your fault," Kate accused, meaning to tease. "Your story may be too exciting."

"Should I stop?" Castle asked, concerned.

Kate reached out to stroke his cheek. "Not on your life."


	82. Chapter 82

Summer Mix

Chapter 82

_Jorge could feel the vice of his chest squeezing his heart. The families disappeared! Did that mean they somehow made it back home, or something too grim to contemplate. He tried to ask Gabriel more questions, but the bell sounded, cutting off his chance. Jorge fought with himself. Should he tell Maria what he had learned? He hated to give her the weight of Gabriel's revelation. But the baby was coming. She had to know._

_Jorge was surprised by Maria's response. Her eyes shone, not out of fear but of hope. "We have to make a plan," she urged. "The baby will be born in Medic Central. We'll need a way out of there, to the meadow where we arrived. If the rift opens again, that has to be where it will be."_

"_How do you know?" Jorge asked. "It could be anywhere, or nowhere."_

"_Jorge," Maria pleaded. "you have to have faith. We have to have faith."_

_The next day, Maria told Briny Bumby that she was feeling something strange and needed to see the medics. A hovercraft arrived to whisk Maria to her destination. She noted every detail of the trip and tried desperately to remember how it fit with the geography of the journey that delivered her into the thrall of purple society. She took special notice of the control in the hovercraft that opened the Medic Central entrance. After the hovercraft landed inside the building, Maria made a mental map of every door and corridor she saw on the way to her examination._

"_I don't see anything happening here," the medic reported brusquely. "I'm sending you back to work." Maria took the opportunity to re-catalog everything she had seen on her way in. Almost apologetically, Briny informed her that she would be losing break time for the time she was gone. Maria took the pronouncement with what she hoped was a look of meek obedience._

_A week later, Maria's distress was genuine. Her back ached during her shift at the factory and her contractions began in earnest that evening. At Maria's urging, Jorge waited to swipe the icon that would call a hovercraft. In between the pains, Maria repeated the plan with Jorge over and over, searching for flaws. When Jorge could no longer bear to see her pain, he called the craft. Jorge, with a pilot's eyes, took in every detail of the controls used on the flight as he and Maria were flown to their destination._

_With rare mercy, the medic allowed Jorge to hold Maria's hand during the rest of her labor and during delivery, and dispensed a small amount of medication to dull the pain. Maria was strong from many months of heavy work in the factory, making her pushes intense and her labor short._

_Jorge and Maria were left alone as the baby took the first drops from Maria's breast. "Jorge!" Maria exclaimed. "We don't know how much time we have. We have to go! We have to go now!"_

"_Maria, can you do it?" Jorge asked. "You've had no time to rest. You've had no time to heal."_

"_I will do it," Maria declared, "because I have to do it."_

_Jorge carried the baby and supported Maria the best that he could through the maze of corridors Maria had so carefully committed to memory. Finally they arrived at the bay where the hovercrafts were kept. Jorge helped Maria into a craft and placed the baby in her arms. He swiped the icon to to open the portal. Jorge guided the craft until they came to the trees at the edge of the meadow where their plane had originally been downed. At first things seemed as they had been when he and Maria had first arrived. Then a shimmering golden tunnel appeared._

The nurse came to the room to check on Kate. "Ten centimeters," she announced. "Your heart rate is within bounds, but still on the high side. Time to go to the delivery room. Mr. Castle, are you going with your wife?"

"Try and stop me," Castle replied.

"All right," the nurse replied. "You can follow as soon as you gown up."

Castle fumbled his way into the paper coverings and took Kate's hand as Dr. Solomon arrived. Solomon studied the chart once more and looked at the monitors. "It's time to push now," he informed Kate, seeing the beginning of the trace of a contraction. Castle took a support position behind her and Kate began her work. Even more determined than she was strong, she put all her effort into bringing the baby into the world. It took few pushes before Solomon exclaimed, "The head is crowning," then suddenly "stop! The chord is around the baby's neck. I have to clear it."

"I don't think I can," Kate moaned.

"Breathe, just breathe," the nurse counseled.

"No, I need something to focus on," Kate gritted out. "Castle, finish the story, Now. Please."

Castle drew a shaky breath.

_The baby moved restlessly in the tunnel's glow. "Shhh, Angel," Maria crooned. "We're going home." Jorge piloted the hovercraft into the pulsating opening. It was the storm all over again, the hovercraft buffeted as if by gale force winds. Still it stayed within the golden walls. The shimmer began to fade as cottony clouds against a brilliant blue sky appeared ahead. The buildings below, the brown of wood and the gray of concrete, were beckoning. Jorge spied a familiar empty stretch that appeared to be a runway, but with no way to contact a tower, he had no way to avoid possible collision with another aircraft. He flew on until he felt ominous vibrations._

"_I need to find someplace safe to land," he told Maria. Luck or fate was with them. A building appeared ahead, a hospital, with a helipad on the roof. He set the hovercraft down as bewildered emergency staff ran to their aid._

"Kate, we're clear, push now!" Dr. Solomon instructed.

Castle braced Kate once again and the shoulders emerged, followed shortly by the rest of a tiny body, which promptly protested its exit from a place of warmth and comfort. "How is she?" Kate asked anxiously as the nurse cleaned the baby girl and the doctor examined her.

"Apgar 9," Solomon mumbled for the nurse to chart.

"What?" Castle asked anxiously, unable to hear what Solomon had said.

"She's just fine," Solomon reported placing the pink wrapped bundle in Kate's arms.

"Kate's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the wrinkled red face. "Look Castle, ten fingers, ten toes. She's perfect, just perfect."

Castle softly kissed Kate's lips. "As perfect as her mother."

* * *

Alexis, Sara, Martha, Lanie, and Jim Beckett crowded around Kate's bed as Castle proudly held his new daughter. Castle showed her to each person in turn, but refused to hand her over. "What have you named her?" Jim Beckett asked.

"You tell him Kate," Castle said tenderly.

"Dad, everyone," Kate announced to her almost immediately teary father, "this is Johanna Beckett Castle."

The cooing and congratulations ceased as Johanna began to protest her need for food. Castle handed Johanna back to Kate and everyone but Castle drifted from the room as Kate prepared to nurse her. As Johanna did an excellent imitation of her mother with a strawberry shake, Kate looked up at Castle.

"You never did finish the story," she said.

"Isn't it obvious?" Castle asked. "Jorge and Maria sold the hovercraft to a technology company and sold the rights to their story to J. J. Abrams. Jorge put out the word in the aeronautical community to avoid the area where he had been pulled into the rift and Jorge, Maria, and Angel lived happily ever after."

"You do love fairy tales, Castle," Kate teased.

"You know I do," Castle murmured as he leaned in for a kiss, "especially the one we're living now."

Finis

A/N Fall is beginning and Summer Mix has ended. I hope you've enjoyed the ride. I'll be doing a follow up to _Father Figure_ next, as there is much left to explain. Thank you all so much for all the love. Sally


End file.
